[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 206 (Monday, December 7, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      PEARL HARBOR REMEMBRANCE DAY

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, today on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 
veterans and their families will participate in remembrance events at 
the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.
  The attack on December 7, 1941, killed 2,403 and injured 1,178. This 
date of infamy as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt described it, was 
one of America's most consequential. It launched the United States into 
World War II and unleashed the courage, bravery, and resolve of 
thousands of servicemembers who changed the course of history.
  In Europe and Asia, they crushed the forces of fascism, Nazism, and 
oppression and brought freedom to much of the world. The price they 
paid was immense. Many made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. 
Those who returned built the world we know today.
  We call them the Greatest Generation. Now in the twilight of their 
lives, we have a chance to say, thank you, once more.
  I have introduced S. 3812, the WWII Veterans Hospital and Medical 
Eligibility Act, and I am pleased to have the bipartisan support of 
Senators Cramer, Daines, Booker, Tester, Coons, Collins, Young, Rubio, 
Sinema, Rounds, Wicker, Hassan, and Klobuchar, and Tillis.
  In 1996, the Veterans Health Care Eligibility Act opened the VA 
healthcare system to all veterans of the Spanish-American War and World 
War I. My bill will provide the same benefits for World War II 
veterans. It will exempt World War II veterans who are not enrolled in 
VA healthcare from means testing requirements. This is one final 
opportunity to honor their heroism and afford them with dignity in 
their final years.
  I have been honored to work with the American Legion on this 
legislation. I thank the Legion for its tireless advocacy on behalf of 
our Nation's veterans. On October 31, 2019, the American Legion 
National Commander, Bill Oxford called on the Veterans Administration 
to expand the Veterans Health Care Eligibility Act of 1996 for World 
War II veterans. This bill does just that.
  As we reflect on National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, it is time 
for us to answer the call and provide VA healthcare to all those who 
answered the call of our Nation during its hour of need in World War 
II.

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