[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13793-13796]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  PERMITTING USE OF CAPITOL ROTUNDA FOR A CEREMONY TO COMMEMORATE THE 
         75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

  Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 427) permitting the use of the 
rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony to commemorate the 75th 
anniversary of the

[[Page 13794]]

establishment of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 427

       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), that the rotunda of the Capitol is authorized to 
     be used on July 19, 2006, for a ceremony to commemorate the 
     75th anniversary of the establishment of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs. Physical preparations for the ceremony 
     shall be carried out in accordance with such conditions as 
     the Architect of the capitol may prescribe.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
  Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  For three-quarters of a century, the Department of Veterans Affairs 
has supported the distinguished men and women of our Armed Forces 
through the many services they offer. Since its inception in 1930, the 
VA has worked tirelessly to enhance patient care and veterans benefits, 
providing excellence in service to those who serve our Nation proudly.
  Of the 25 million veterans currently alive, nearly three of every 
four served during a war or in an official period of hostility. About a 
quarter of the Nation's population, approximately 70 million people, 
are potentially eligible for VA benefits and services because they are 
veterans, family members or survivors of veterans. But the VA stands 
for more than the collection of services they offer. They represent the 
desire of all Americans to ensure that we honor those who selflessly 
answer the call to defend our great Nation with the great dignity and 
respect they deserve.
  On the occasion of its 75th anniversary year, the Department of 
Veterans Affairs, with the support of Chairman Buyer of the Committee 
on Veterans' Affairs, has requested use of the Capitol rotunda to 
commemorate the significant contribution that the VA has made in 
supporting veterans.
  As I have noted in the past, it is important for us to continually 
identify opportunities to recognize the contribution of our men and 
women in uniform as a way to give thanks for all that they have given 
to the American people. As you may know, the Committee on House 
Administration recently partnered with the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs and the Armed Services Committee to introduce the Wall of the 
Fallen memorial, a tribute to those men and women who have lost their 
lives in battle in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was 
proud to sponsor the Wall of the Fallen in recognition of these heroes, 
just as I lend my full support to the request of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs for use of the Capitol rotunda to celebrate their 75 
years of service to our Nation's veterans.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 
427, authorizing the use of the Capitol rotunda on July 19 of this year 
for a ceremony to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs. As my colleagues are well aware, 
Congress must pass a concurrent resolution to use the Capitol rotunda, 
the respected location of America's historic ceremonies.
  I want to thank the gentleman from Indiana for introducing this 
resolution.
  This event will mark the 75th anniversary of the Department of VA in 
which Congress will use the historic rotunda location to commemorate 
the service of the VA professionals who provide Federal benefits to 
veterans and their families.
  On July 21, 1930, President Hoover issued an executive order to 
consolidate various veterans programs to create the Department of 
Veterans Affairs, which has grown from an organization of 48 hospitals 
and 30,000 employees into the Nation's second largest Federal agency. 
Today, the VA employs over 237,000 professionals, is comprised of 157 
hospitals and over 850 community-based clinics, provides pensions and 
disability compensation to more than 3.4 million veterans, and provides 
a dignified and permanent resting place at the 120 national cemeteries 
that honor the men and women who served in our Nation's military.
  The responsibility to care for veterans, spouses, survivors and 
dependents can last a long time. For example, five children of Civil 
War veterans still draw VA benefits. About 440 children and widows of 
Spanish-American War veterans still receive VA compensation or 
pensions. Also currently receiving VA benefits are nearly 160,000 
survivors of Vietnam-era veterans and over 256,000 survivors of World 
War II veterans.
  Approximately 63 million people are potentially eligible for VA 
benefits and services because they are veterans, family members or 
survivors of veterans. More than half of the citizen soldiers who have 
ever served in uniform throughout our Nation's history are living 
today, 25 million of whom are living veterans to whom we owe the 
greatest debt for our freedom.
  Madam Speaker, this celebration honors our veterans' sacrifice and 
dignifies the cause they served by commemorating the very people who 
serve them.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the 75 years of dutiful 
service the Department of Veterans Affairs has provided to our Nation's 
veterans by supporting passage of this concurrent resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder).
  Mr. SOUDER. Madam Speaker, I am happy to rise in support of this 
resolution so that we can honor the Veterans Administration.
  I have had an unusual several years in my congressional district. All 
of us work a lot with veterans casework; and certainly with the deaths 
and injuries that come in Iraq and Afghanistan, we have seen the rise 
in that kind of casework, as well as the aging veterans from World War 
II, the Korean War and many other people who have so bravely defended 
our Nation.
  But when the CARES Commission suggested closing inpatient services in 
Fort Wayne, Indiana, we saw an outpouring of veterans in our community 
who really made clear why they think that the veterans hospitals are so 
important and so important to their care. They don't want to go to 
other cities. They don't want to go to other hospitals. They very much 
appreciate the service they get at the hospitals.
  Even though we haven't allocated enough money to meet all the 
demands, we haven't modernized many of these hospitals as much as they 
should be given the service that these dedicated men and women have 
given in defense of freedom and defense of protecting the rest of us, 
the fact is they love their hospitals. They love their health care 
there. They love the fact that they are recognized as veterans when 
they come in; that they have the camaraderie that they can have with 
their fellow veterans and the shared experiences; that the people at 
those hospitals know what kind of sacrifice they have given. They 
aren't just another cipher as often happens when they go to an 
emergency room and then they argue about who is going to pay the bill. 
They know when they go into a veterans hospital and when they come into 
the Veterans Administration service that they are going to be 
recognized and treated with the dignity that they deserve.
  I want to commend the Veterans Administration. They have a very tough 
time, with being underfunded, trying to meet the increasing demands, 
the shifting of where the veterans retire; but we appreciate in Fort 
Wayne, Indiana, in the CBOCs around the area, the dedicated staff that 
does the best they can to service the many needy veterans not only in 
my district but throughout the country.
  I enthusiastically support this resolution in favor of using the dome 
for their 75th anniversary.

[[Page 13795]]


  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I just wanted to mention, yesterday I had the occasion with Senator 
Menendez to be at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in New Jersey, which is 
actually in my home county; and it was amazing to me not only was the 
memorial such a beautiful place to visit. They had an educational 
center there, and there were so many veterans that just man the place 
on a voluntary basis just because of their dedication.
  It just shows me how so many years after the Vietnam War, many years 
after other wars, we still have the dedication on the part of our 
veterans that just volunteer their time and their service just because 
they believe so strongly in the cause, and in this case, the memorial 
that represents the sacrifice of Vietnam veterans.
  So I just wanted to mention that in conjunction with this service and 
the resolution that we are about to pass.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.


                             General Leave

  Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous matter on the subject of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. 
Res. 427, which will provide the use of the Capitol rotunda for the 
recognition of the 75th anniversary of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs.
  It is altogether fitting to use the rotunda, which is reserved for 
only the most special and solemn occasions, to commemorate the 
establishment in 1930 of an agency charged ``to care for him who shall 
have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.'' Those words, 
spoken in 1865 by Abraham Lincoln in his Second Inaugural Address, have 
been adopted by VA as the department's motto.
  When President Herbert Hoover signed the executive order establishing 
the Veterans Administration, and consolidating and coordinating federal 
support of veterans, America had 4.7 million living veterans. The new 
VA administered 54 hospitals with 31,600 employees.
  Today, VA cares for our veterans and their families with 235,000 
dedicated professionals who operate and manage the largest health care 
system in the Nation. These public servants, helped by more than 
130,000 volunteers, provide high-quality health care to more than 5 
million patients in more than 1,300 sites of care, including 154 
medical centers.
  The VA provides about 3 million veterans with disability compensation 
and pension payments, and nearly 600,000 spouses, children and parents 
of deceased veterans receive benefits.
  Our revered dead lie in honored repose in 123 national cemeteries 
administered by VA in 39 States and Puerto Rico. VA also provides 
grants to States to encourage the development of State cemeteries; 
funds have been awarded for 63 operating State cemeteries, and 5 more 
are under construction.
  VA research has won the Nobel Prize and it has been instrumental in 
developing the CT scan, the pacemaker, and improvements in artificial 
limbs. The Nation's first liver transplant was conducted by a VA 
surgeon, and VA has pioneered treatments for schizophrenia, high blood 
pressure, and tuberculosis.
  Many veterans know VA best for its able administration of the 1944 GI 
Bill. Veterans Administration educational benefits have to date sent 
more than 21 million veterans, service members and family members to 
college, many of whom have also used VA loans to buy a home. The GI 
Bill essentially created the modem American middle class that has 
brought this country unparalleled prosperity and global leadership.
  Today our Nation is engaged in a global war on terror. As they have 
for generations before them, VA's professionals and volunteers are at 
their stations in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, offices, and 
clinics ensuring that our newest veterans and their families have the 
best support possible.
  The contribution of VA and the importance of support for America's 
veterans were officially recognized on March 15, 1989, with VA's 
establishment as a Cabinet-level department. Hailing the creation of 
the Nation's 14th cabinet-level position, President George H.W. Bush 
said, ``There is only one place for the veterans of America, in the 
Cabinet Room, at the table with the President of the United States of 
America.''
  Madam Speaker, there is only one place to celebrate the 75th 
anniversary of this remarkable agency. That is in the rotunda of the 
Capitol of the United States of America, and I urge my colleagues to 
join me in support of this resolution.
  Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Madam Speaker, this week H. Con. Res. 427 passed 
the House of Representatives by voice vote. This bill would permit the 
use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony to commemorate the 
75th anniversary of the establishment of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs. I would like to lend my voice to this memorable event.
  Madam Speaker, in 1930 President Hoover signed Executive Order 5398 
which established the Veterans Administration a ultimately led to the 
formation of the Department of Veteran Affairs. The VA (as it has 
affectionately become known) has strived to both honor and serve the 
men and women who protect one of our Nation's most treasured ideals--
liberty. For 75 years, the VA has helped ensure that those who choose 
to enter the armed services are not forgotten after they honorably 
serve their country.
  For this reason, we should celebrate the concept and accomplishments 
of the VA. Indeed, the VA is a vital cabinet level department, which 
oversees an honorable and necessary function of the U.S. Government.
  The VA has three branches, which aim to provide a smooth transition 
for veterans when they return home from active duty. These branches--
the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits 
Administration, and the National Cemetery Administration--should be 
roundly applauded for their service to America's former servicemen and 
servicewomen.
  Beginning in 1946, the VA's health unit, now known as the Veterans 
Health Administration, has sought to provide adequate health care to 
injured veterans returning from war, starting with World War II. 
Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, the VHA expanded into a 
leading health care provider and now has over 150 medical centers 
across the country. According to the VA, provided care to more than 5.3 
million individuals in 2005.
  In addition to providing health care services, the VA, through its 
Veterans Benefits Administration branch, has provided educational 
services to veterans, beginning with the passage of the GI Bill in 
1944. According to the VA, 7.8 million World War II veterans, alone, 
benefited from educational opportunities that the bill offered. I also 
applaud the VA for assisting the families of our fallen heroes, the men 
and women of our armed services who died in combat fighting for 
liberty. The VA's National Cemetery Administration should be praised 
for providing memorials to those veterans who died for our liberty.
  Madam Speaker, it is an honor for me to have the opportunity to 
recognize the VA for what is has and will continue to do for our 
veterans. As a member of the House of Representatives, I always look to 
support legislation that honors our veterans. On June 27, 2006, the 
House of Representatives agreed to H.R. 4843, the Veterans' 
Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2006. H.R. 4843 increases 
compensation rates to veterans with service-oriented disabilities, and 
the House of Representatives should be proud of this great legislation.
  But, Madam Speaker, on July 19, 2006, when we commemorate the VA's 
75th Anniversary, let us not forget that much more needs to be done to 
pay homage to our veterans, particularly those who are coming home from 
Afghanistan and Iraq.
  Madam Speaker, the VA reported in August 2005 that almost 23 percent 
of homeless men and women are veterans. Madam Speaker this percentage 
is far too high and far too shameful.
  On a bi-partisan basis, Congress must work with the Veterans Affairs 
to right this seemingly forgotten atrocity. The men and women who 
honorably serve our great Nation deserve not only to be treated as 
heroes in war; they deserve to be treated as heroe when they return 
home.
  The men and women of the U.S. armed services make it possible for us 
to debate. Madam Speaker, let us not debate the honor veterans deserve.
  Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 427.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

[[Page 13796]]



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