[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4820]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. This week marks the 10th anniversary of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, which elevated the Veterans 
Administration (previously an independent federal agency) to cabinet-
level status. This move capped the gradual evolution of a governmental 
response to the needs of veterans--beginning with the Plymouth colony's 
first pension law in 1636, and proceeding through a variety of federal 
bureaus with shared responsibility for ministering to veterans, before 
those agencies were unified into one.
  The creation of the Department of Veterans Affairs has both a real 
and a symbolic meaning. By raising the agency to cabinet level, the 
Nation's chief veterans' advocate--the Secretary of Veterans Affairs--
was literally given a seat at the table with all other major executive 
agencies, and direct access to the President. Symbolically, veterans 
were accorded ``a voice at the highest level of government,'' in the 
words of former VA Secretary Jesse Brown. This is as it should be for 
the second largest agency of the federal government, whose sole mission 
is to serve those whose sacrifices are the very backbone of the 
freedoms we all enjoy.
  As current VA Secretary Togo D. West, Jr., has said, ``Cabinet status 
has brought many benefits; but is has also brought increased 
obligations.'' The VA plays a major role nationally in the fields of 
health care, education, insurance, and housing. As the Nation's budget 
is divided up, it is important that VA be on a level playing field with 
other federal departments to effectively safeguard our veterans' 
interests.
  I want to take this opportunity to salute the many talented, caring, 
and dedicated employees of the Department who are at the heart of its 
operations. I know they labor under a heavy workload, particularly in 
this era of tightening budgets. We must ensure they have the resources 
they need to carry out their mission.
  The Department's 10th anniversary marks a happy milestone, a decade 
of growth and accomplishments. My warmest congratulations to all who 
share in this achievement.

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