[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13337-13338]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         BUSH ADMINISTRATION CONTINUES TO SHORT-CHANGE VETERANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Chocola). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, as a new generation is being created 
in Iraq and Afghanistan, Republicans are underfunding programs that are 
vital to our Nation's veterans.
  The Bush administration has tried to increase the cost of health care 
for veterans which would have forced 1 million veterans from the 
system. Their budget slashed funding for staff needed to process 
disability claims and cut funding for prosthetic research and long-term 
care.
  House Republicans passed a budget that underfunds veterans health 
care by $1 billion, and they rejected efforts by House Democrats to 
fully fund VA health care.
  Their budget cuts do not stop there.
  The Bush administration, in order to make room for tax cuts for the 
wealthiest 5 percent in our Nation, their plan for the 2006 budget 
includes a $900 million cut in funding for veterans health care. That 
would be catastrophic for the VA and for our Nation's veterans.
  Last month, Secretary Principi and President Bush announced they had 
closed three VA hospitals, one in Mississippi, one in Pittsburgh, and 
one in my district in northeast Ohio in Brecksville. The Ohio facility 
serves 48,000 veterans and is a national leader in programs that treat 
substance abuse and mental illness. The Brecksville VA hospital is 
critical for ensuring the health and well-being of the thousands of 
homeless veterans who rely on Brecksville and who now will be forced to 
find another way and go somewhere else.
  For whatever reason, the administration chose the same month in which 
we honored our war heroes on the anniversary of D-Day and dedicated the 
World War II Memorial to close those three health care VA facilities.
  Ohio is home to more than 1 million veterans. That number obviously 
is increasing with our commitments abroad. There are 61,000 active 
Reserve or National Guardsmen and -women from Ohio, 9,000 serving in 
Iraq and in Afghanistan. When these brave men and women serving our 
Nation come home to Ohio, they face, as a result of the 
administration's negligence and policies, they face cuts to health care 
benefits, cuts to VA hospital closures; and they face, in some cases, 
loss of their livelihoods.
  Not since World War II has the U.S. made such heavy use of part-time 
soldiers.
  Twenty-seven percent of self-employed Reservists said their 
businesses were irreparably damaged while deployed in Iraq. Other 
Reservists and Guardsmen and -women have taken pay cuts in order to 
fight for our Nation in Iraq. When they return home, many of these 
veterans will have to take out second mortgages to repair their 
businesses and to get back on their economic feet.
  While they struggle to rebuild their source of income and economic 
support to their communities, they are forced to pay more for 
prescription drugs, and they are forced to travel further for their 
health care needs.
  How do we look a veteran in the eye and ask a veteran to go to Canada 
to buy less expensive prescription drugs?
  While our brave men and women serve our country, their benefits and 
their ability to support their families are being threatened by this 
administration's policies that hurt America's veterans. In only 3\1/2\ 
years, we have seen rising costs for prescription drugs from a $3 copay 
per drug per month to a $7 copay per drug per month, and now the Bush 
administration wants a $15 copay per drug per month. Mr. Speaker, 
330,000 veterans have unprocessed claims and 100,000 veterans are 
waiting for appeals decisions. New enrollment fees and increased costs 
of prescription drugs will cost veterans $2 billion over the next 5 
years. All of this has happened since President Bush took office.
  The President opposes the renewal of ``imminent danger'' pay for 
families of active duty soldiers in Iraq and in Afghanistan.
  The President opposes mandatory funding for veterans health care; and 
maybe most importantly, the President, in his campaign in 2000, told 
veterans that ``help is on the way.'' Three years later, this 
administration continues year after year after year to cut veterans 
benefits. We must do better than that.

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