[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3386-3387]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          FIGHTING FOR AMERICA'S VETERANS: CONCURRENT RECEIPT

  (Mr. MILLER of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to talk about 
how President Bush and this Republican Congress have fought to honor 
America's veterans. As Florida's First Congressional District is home 
to more veterans than anywhere else in the Nation, keeping the promises 
to veterans is certainly my priority and it has been one for this 
Republican Congress as well.
  I think it is safe to say that all of our colleagues, Republicans and 
Democrats, tell their constituents that they support veterans and will 
keep the many promises we have made to them throughout the years. The 
difference is that President Bush and our Republican colleagues have 
kept those promises. It is the Democrats who have not.
  Republicans have increased to record levels spending on veterans' 
health care and benefit programs. We have enacted countless measures to 
enhance and expand compensation, retirement, health, and medical 
programs for America's 25 million veterans and their families since 
becoming the majority party in this Congress.
  We have also provided more than $22 billion to allow disabled 
veterans to receive both their disability compensation and retirement 
pay, a practice which a 100-year-old law previously prohibited. In 
fact, Republicans are the only ones who have provided any, any, 
concurrent receipt benefits for disabled military retirees. Democrats 
had 40 years to do so as the majority party, and they did not.
  President Roosevelt said ``A man good enough to shed blood for his 
country is good enough to be given a square

[[Page 3387]]

deal afterwards.'' We should be proud of what President Bush and our 
Republican colleagues have done.

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