[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 172 (Wednesday, November 7, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H13213-H13214]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          FUNDING OUR VETERANS

  (Mrs. DRAKE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. DRAKE. Mr. Speaker, this is day 38. That is 38 days so far that 
our veterans have not had the use of the increased funding for their 
benefits and health care. That's $18.5 million a day not able to be 
used.
  In June, this House passed this appropriation bill with a $6 billion 
increase in a bipartisan manner. On September 6, the Senate completed 
their

[[Page H13214]]

bill. The President has agreed to sign this bill. Instead, the 
Democratic leadership has decided to use funding for our veterans as a 
smokescreen in an effort to pass billions in unrelated domestic 
spending.
  Our veterans are not pawns in a political game. They are heroes. 
These funding issues should have been considered separately and on 
their own merits. Please join me in calling upon the Democratic 
leadership to put our veterans first and send a clean Veterans 
appropriation bill to the President now.

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