[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 23, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E459-E460]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      VETERANS' COMPENSATION COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENT ACT OF 2010

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 22, 2010

  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 
4667, ``Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2010'' 
introduced by my distinguished colleague from Virginia, Representative 
Perriello.
  H. Res. 4667 will increase the rates of compensation for veterans 
with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and 
indemnity compensation for survivors of certain disabled veterans, and 
for other purposes. Increases will include wartime disability 
compensation, additional compensation for dependents, clothing 
allowances, and compensation for the surviving spouse, and for 
children. The Secretary of Veteran Affairs shall be responsible for 
publishing in the Federal Register the amounts, as increased, as 
specified under the Social Security Act. The Secretary of Veteran 
Affairs shall increase the dollar amounts in effect on November 30, 
2010, for the payment of disability compensation for the rate 
adjustment that will take effect on December 1, 2010.
  It is my distinct honor to stand here today to support a bill that 
will allow us to show our appreciation to our veterans and honor the 
service of veterans who have become disabled while serving in the armed 
forces. These veterans have given great contributions and made 
incredible personal sacrifices so that all of us in this country might 
live in a safe and secure nation and world. Providing a cost-of-living 
increase is only a small step towards repaying the insurmountable debt 
that all of us owe to all veterans. For, what is the price of freedom?
  As President Kennedy once said, ``The price of freedom is high, but 
Americans have always paid it.'' And no one has paid a higher price 
than the brave men and women through the years who gave the last full 
measure of devotion to their country. Whether it is the ultimate 
sacrifice of life or the loss of limb or the loss of time with family 
and friends, we owe our veterans an enormous outstanding debt of 
gratitude.
  From Bunker Hill to Yorktown, from Washington, DC to the Battle of 
New Orleans, from Bull Run to Gettysburg and Antietam to Appamattox, 
brave Americans gave their lives

[[Page E460]]

so that the nation might live. And from Alsace Lorain to Verdun, and 
Normandy to Berlin and Pearl Harbor to Okinawa, from Inchon and 
Correigador to Vietnam, Lebanon, Grenada, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and 
Iraq, Americans have nobly sacrificed their lives so that the world may 
live in freedom.
  The debt of gratitude we owe to the soldiers, sailors, marines, and 
airmen who answered their nation's call and made supreme sacrifices can 
never be repaid. But the nation can follow President Lincoln's 
admonition to ``care for him who has borne the battle, and for his 
[family].'' Indeed, it is the least we can do.
  It is out of my profound respect and gratitude for all who wear and 
have worn the uniform of the United States that I continue to work so 
hard to pass legislation that will ensure that veterans receive the 
health care, job opportunities, housing assistance, and educational 
benefits they deserve.

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