[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9726]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TAX CUTS OR VETERAN BENEFITS

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, a group of House Republicans last week 
seriously undermined our Nation's ability to fight the war on terror 
when they objected to more than $500 million in funding that directly 
affects our veterans and our soldiers in combat. These were all funds 
the President said were necessary to properly fund military 
construction projects and our veterans services. And yet the House 
Republican leadership allowed these funds to be stripped from the bill 
by not properly funding these programs in the budget they passed last 
week.
  This small group of House Republicans would not have been able to act 
against our troops and our veterans if the Republican leadership had 
been honest about their real funding needs in their budget. House 
Republicans want Americans to believe that they can continue to provide 
$40,000 tax breaks every year to millionaires without negatively 
impacting critical Federal obligations. But Memorial Day approaches 
this weekend, House Republicans need to decide whether they want to 
continue to stick with the wealthiest few or if they want to level with 
the American people about our true financial commitment to our military 
and our veterans. It is time they choose.

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