[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 63 (Monday, April 21, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3178-S3179]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   VETERANS' BENEFITS ENHANCEMENT ACT

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, in a similar vein, 9 months ago, in August 
of last year, the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee reported the 
Veterans' Benefits Enhancement Act to the Senate floor.
  Today, there are about 150,000 young Americans serving, sacrificing, 
and suffering in Iraq. This legislation, which is on the Senate floor 
today--we are trying to get it so we can debate this bill--would 
provide much needed and long overdue benefits for veterans young and 
old.
  This legislation on which we had to file cloture--here it is: 
Republican filibusters, 66 and still counting. They are going up, it 
seems, a couple times a week. It is hard to comprehend, but we have had 
to file cloture on allowing the Senate to proceed to debate on an issue 
of this importance. We should have gone to it Thursday night. No, we 
had to file cloture on it. We are going to vote on cloture tomorrow, 
and then, if we get cloture, they will make us use the 30 hours, waste 
the 30 hours, just eat up time.
  This bill has 38 provisions and 8 titles, all extremely important. It 
expands eligibility for traumatic injury insurance, extends eligibility 
for specially adapted housing benefits to veterans who have been burned 
severely. As the Presiding Officer knows, those improvised explosive 
devices cause infernos, and people are burned often. The bill increases 
benefits for veterans pursuing apprenticeships or on-the-job training 
programs. It restores veteran status to Filipino veterans who served 
under U.S. command during World War II. As I mentioned last Friday, all 
one needs to do is watch the Tom Hanks World War II series, and you can 
see what the Filipinos did for us side by side in fighting the Japanese 
during World War II. We want them to have the benefits that are so long 
overdue.
  We have had to file cloture and break filibusters 66 times. The prior 
record was 57 or 58 in a single Congress; that is 2 years. They broke 
that before Christmas last year. They did it in far less than a year. 
They broke the 2-year record.
  America's commitment to the men and women who have served in uniform 
must never waver. At a time when one in five young men and women 
returns from Iraq and Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorders 
and other psychological problems, this legislation should have come to 
the Senate floor with no delay. At a time when tens of thousands of our 
troops are returning from war with wounds, many of them grievous, this 
legislation should have passed overwhelmingly, if not unanimously.
  On many days, there is a tour guide in the Capitol who, when he spots 
a veteran in one of the tours, talks with them, and he has a little 
thing that we sign, and many times he brings them by my office.
  I have seen, at Walter Reed and in my office, what this war has done 
to our troops' bodies. I have had a chance to visit with these young 
men and women, after they have been to war and come back, out of Walter 
Reed--sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently. They are still 
teenagers. I have seen their scars. I have heard how their lives have 
been changed. I asked them, talked to them in detail: How did you get 
hurt?
  The last one who was in, I said: How long were you in the vehicle?
  He said: Twenty seconds. Went from the house, jumped in the vehicle--
it blew up almost immediately.

[[Page S3179]]

  He is hurt; lost his leg above his knee. He had scars that you could 
see on the one where he has a whole leg. He showed me the scars on 
that. He said it causes him more trouble than the one that is missing.
  No matter what position we take on the war in Iraq, we should all 
agree on providing for these veterans and those who wore the uniform 
before them. That is a solemn responsibility we have now. This act we 
are trying to get on the Senate floor now helps fulfill the 
responsibility we have as Senators.
  Every Senator has a right to oppose this legislation or try to change 
it. In my time as majority leader, I have tried to work with the 
Republican leader to reach consensus on legislation on which minority 
Members have objections. I have made repeated efforts to try to do so 
on the Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act. I am told my Republican 
counterparts--if the Republican side of the aisle doesn't like this, 
let's legislate it and take parts of it out. Unfortunately, the 
Republican leader has not responded positively. As a result, I was 
forced Thursday night to file cloture on the motion to proceed simply 
so we could start debating this legislation.
  I would have preferred not to have had to file cloture. I wish we 
could just move forward on it, as we have wanted to do 65 other times. 
But when legislation to honor and care for our veterans languishes for 
9 months because Republicans are unwilling to work with us or just 
simply legislate, I have no other choice. As dedicated Government 
watchers and C-SPAN watchers know, this is far from the first time the 
Republican minority has rejected our good-faith efforts on reaching 
compromise. Time and time again they have chosen obstruction over 
negotiation.
  It seems to me what the Republicans want is a graveyard of no 
progress. We are going to continue to fight. We are going to do 
everything we can to get this legislation passed. We believe there 
should be progress; filing cloture as we have had to do is going to 
help us get progress. It is going to be slow, but we are going to 
continue doing it.
  It seems in times like this our Republican friends would rather we 
accomplish nothing. Maybe they see political advantage in slow-walking. 
But the American people are left to suffer for their actions.
  Some may not like provisions in the Veterans Benefits Enhancement 
Act. Let them move to change them. Some say: If it weren't for the 
Filipino veterans, we would allow you to move to this bill. Filipino 
veterans--they fought alongside U.S. troops during World War II. I do 
not think the valor of these Filipino troops should be questioned. 
These troops may have been born on foreign soil, but they served 
shoulder to shoulder under one flag, our flag, the American flag. It is 
our moral obligation to recognize the reward they are due. It is long 
past time we do so.
  It is time for our Republican colleagues to choose. Will they stand 
in lockstep with an obstinate few, intent on dragging their heels on 
the care and support our veterans need? I hope not. We need just nine 
Republicans to join with us.
  As you know, Mr. President, there are 51 of us. We need 9 of them to 
get to 60. I hope there are surely nine Republicans willing to stand on 
the side of our veterans, our troops. Tomorrow we will have a chance to 
pass the Veterans Benefits Extension Act. I extend my hand once more to 
the Republican leader and all my colleagues in the minority. If they 
would end their needless obstruction, we could get on this legislation 
today. We would deliver an important victory to the men and women who 
have served us--and will serve us today--with courage, valor, and 
distinction.

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