[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 28331]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   VETERANS DAY 2003 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CORRINE BROWN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 7, 2003

  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support of 
America's 25 million living veterans. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, 
and Marines are surely the best of the best.
  More than 48 million heroic men and women have served in our military 
since the start of the Republic. Veterans have served this great Nation 
honorably during times of peace, and of war. It is appropriate that we 
set aside one special day a year to honor their service. However, we 
must not reserve this day for remembrance and then forget our veterans 
the other 364 days a year. Daily, we owe veterans our heartfelt 
gratitude and respect.
  As the Congresswoman representing Florida's third district, I am 
proud of the patriotism and loyalty that the people of Florida have 
shown to this Nation--it inspires me daily as a senior member of the 
House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. There are nearly two million 
veterans in the state of Florida, and I thank them each for answering 
the call to service.
  At this time, more than any other, we should stop and pay homage to 
America's veterans. Today's servicemember is tomorrow's veteran. Right 
now, there are 130,000 Americans serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. On 
Thursday, the Administration announced a plan that would send 128,000 
fresh troops to Iraq early next year. This plan calls-up 43,000 
National Guard and Reserve troops for one-year tours. We need to 
promise these servicemembers that they will not be forgotten when they 
return home.
  Congress needs to take action and fully fund concurrent receipt for 
the 560,000 eligible veterans. It is the right thing to do. We must 
promise this generation of career service members that they will be 
treated on par with other federal employees in the event that they 
become disabled. A recent study, undertaken by the United States House 
of Representatives Committee on Government Reform, shows that the 
Disabled Veterans Tax affects approximately 57,300, or one in three, 
veterans in Florida. 2,738 veterans are affected by this tax in the 
third district of Florida. Statewide, Florida's veterans lose $300 
million in benefits annually to the Disabled Veterans Tax. In Florida's 
third district, veterans cumulatively lose $13,923,588 in benefits a 
year--with an average loss of $5,085 per veteran annually.
  The Bush Administration argues that there is a cost barrier to fully 
funding concurrent receipt. This argument shows where the 
Administration's priorities are misplaced. If we can come up with an 
$87.5 billion supplemental appropriation for the war in Iraq, then we 
can surely find the money to bring our Nation's military retirees on 
par with the rest of federal employees. We cannot say that we have 
enough money to fight wars, but not enough to compensate the 
servicemembers injured in them.
  This year's budget process shows why we need mandatory funding for VA 
health care. The funding system for veterans' health care is seriously 
flawed. Instead of being based on need or costs like other federal 
health programs it is funded based on residual funding for 
discretionary programs. Veterans are paying for this defective funding 
system with curtailment in enrollment in the VA health care system, 
newly proposed copayments and enrollment fees, and increased waiting 
times. VA does well with the funding it receives, but with a stable and 
reliable funding stream, it could provide better access to high-quality 
care for our veterans.
  It appears that the House will agree to the Senate's provision that 
will provide a $1.3 billion increase above the Administration's budget 
request. However, it will still fall short of the 2004 funding level 
that was promised in the budget resolution. Veterans should not have to 
come begging at our doors for adequate funding of the VA health care 
system.
  Today, and everyday, we should honor those who have worn this 
Nation's uniform. I thank them and will continue to work to fulfill 
Abraham Lincoln's pledge, ``to care for him who shall have borne the 
battle, and for his widow and orphans.''

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