[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15669]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 HISTORIC INCREASES IN VETERANS FUNDING

  (Mr. STUPAK asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, when America's troops volunteer to serve 
our Nation, they do so believing that the government that sends them 
into harm's way will live up to its promise to care for them when they 
return home. However, as we have seen from the debacle at Walter Reed 
and the current backlog of 400,000 benefits claims pending at the VA, 
our veterans do not always receive the level of service and care they 
deserve.
  Today, this Democratic Congress is taking a vital step in addressing 
these issues by bringing up a Military Construction and Veterans 
Affairs Appropriations bill that provides the largest increase in 
funding for veterans health care in the VA's 77-year history. The 
funding bill also allocates much-needed funding for mental health and 
PTSD services; additional funds for construction and modification of 
extended care facilities; and critical funding for the operation and 
maintenance of the Armed Forces Retirement Home.
  This legislation is critical to providing our Nation's veterans with 
the benefits their service entitles them to and gives the VA the 
resources necessary to ensure we meet their growing needs. It deserves 
strong bipartisan support today; and under Democratic leadership, they 
will receive it.

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