[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 18, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H3613]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                CHARGING WOUNDED VETERANS FOR TREATMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, can you believe that 
President Obama wants to start charging wounded veterans for their 
treatment?
  Our first Commander-in-Chief, George Washington, once said, ``The 
willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, 
no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they 
perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by 
their country.''
  Taking care of those who have sacrificed for our Nation is, I 
believe, our sacred duty. It is a national promise that goes back to 
Presidents Washington and Lincoln. President Obama actually 
acknowledged this during his campaign when, on the floor of the Senate 
on April 10, 2007, he said these are soldiers who fought in World War 
II, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq. They made a commitment to their country 
when they chose to serve, and we must now keep our commitment to them.
  I could not agree more with those words. But in the meantime, as we 
all know, he was elected. Yesterday, we learned that President Obama 
plans to move ahead, despite what he said on the floor of the Senate, 
and start to charge veterans private insurance for the treatment of 
combat-related injuries.
  Let no one be mistaken that the President's plan breaches the moral 
responsibility the Commander-in-Chief owes to veterans wounded on the 
field of battle. It is a breach of our national promise, and we should 
not let this stand. The proposal is outrageous and beyond belief. The 
men and women he proposes to charge are those injured on the field of 
combat. These are people who sacrifice not only their sweat and tears, 
but their flesh and blood so the American dream can be protected.

                              {time}  1715

  Mr. Speaker, what must the average American think? Just recently, the 
criminals at AIG received hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses 
paid by the taxpayers. Is the President now seriously considering 
balancing a $1.7 trillion deficit on the backs of veterans? To do so 
would be a great insult to anyone who ever wore the uniform of this 
great country.

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