[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 23888-23889]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                           APPROPRIATION ACT

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I am pleased to support the fiscal year 
2008 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies 
Appropriation Act. The bill includes funding for critical renovations 
and repairs to military facilities and military family housing. The 
brave men and women of our Armed Forces are serving honorably under 
intense strains in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. We must take care 
of them and their families while they serve and when they return. This 
bill reverses a disturbing trend in recent years by finally providing 
sufficient funds to care for our Nation's veterans. I hope that we will 
have the chance soon to vote for a conference report reflecting the 
priorities in this bill so that there will be no delay--as there has 
been in recent years--in getting the Department of Veterans Affairs 
urgently needed funds. And I will continue working to make sure that 
this bill is only the beginning of a lasting commitment to providing 
veterans the best health care and benefits available.
  I was particularly pleased that the Senate adopted my amendment 
requiring that the Government Accountability Office, GAO, study how the 
VA can best care for the mental health needs of female veterans. I 
decided to introduce this amendment after hearing concerns directly 
from Wisconsin veterans about insufficient mental health services for 
women. The number of women in the Armed Forces has grown rapidly, as 
has their exposure to combat. While the VA has taken important steps to 
establish services for

[[Page 23889]]

women, there is little data on how VA mental health care funds are 
being used to address the needs of women. Indeed, mental health experts 
recently testified before the Congress that the VA does not have the 
capacity to address the needs of women veterans. This study will help 
ensure that the Veterans Administration dedicates the funds needed to 
care for women veterans.
  I was pleased to support Senator Brown's amendment to ensure that the 
Veterans Administration abides by existing law which prohibits 
unnecessary studies on the privatization of VA functions and requires 
public-private competitions before outsourcing government jobs. This 
bill also includes additional funds for the Beneficiary Travel Program, 
an important VA program that benefits numerous Wisconsin veterans who 
live far from VA medical facilities.
  The bill includes $15 million for funding for gulf war illnesses 
research. I strongly support research into treatments for these 
debilitating illnesses. Nearly 200,000 gulf war veterans--one in four 
of those who served--suffer from chronic multisymptom illness as a 
result of serving in the gulf, according to the Department of Veterans 
Affairs most recent study. These illnesses combine debilitating 
headaches, widespread muscle and joint pain, severe fatigue, cognitive 
problems, and other abnormalities. Current and future American military 
forces, as well as civilians, are also at risk of similar exposure.
  Yet according to members of the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf 
War Veterans Illnesses, of all the money spent on research in this 
area--over $300 million over the past 12 years--only two studies have 
been done on treatments. It is time to accept that these are serious 
neurological illnesses and shift research to the identification of 
treatments. A promising pilot program to identify treatments and 
diagnostic tests was initiated last year by the Department of Defense 
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. I call on the 
Department to dedicate the funds appropriated in this act to the 
identification of treatments for these illnesses.
  I understand that concerns have been expressed about the Veterans 
Administration leasing property at the West Los Angeles VA Medical 
Facility to private enterprises that are inappropriate for the hallowed 
grounds of a soldier's home. I supported Senator DeMint's unsuccessful 
amendment to delete language from the bill prohibiting the VA from 
leasing excess property at the West Los Angeles medical facility under 
any circumstances because I do not believe that this language is in the 
best interests of veterans.
  The GAO has reported that, historically, the VA has spent as many as 
1 in 4 of its health care dollars on maintaining its facilities and 
land, including properties that are no longer fit for the provision of 
medical services and are no longer in use. In order to better 
capitalize on its assets, the VA has conducted a nationwide review and 
prepared a plan to make the best use of its property. This plan is 
supported by a broad coalition of veterans service organizations, and 
Congress should take care before carving out exceptions to this policy. 
This does not mean, however, that just any lease will do. The VA must 
incorporate the views of local veterans groups whenever it makes 
decisions about how to utilize its property and any lease must preserve 
the integrity of the VA grounds.
  This bill includes over $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve 
construction. For too long, the needs of the National Guard and Reserve 
have not been adequately funded even while their responsibilities at 
home and abroad have grown exponentially. This bill increases funds for 
the National Guard and Reserve commensurate with their growing 
responsibilities.
  I am concerned that the Department of Defense, according to the 
report of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has ``yet to provide a 
comprehensive plan detailing the scope and cost of the total military 
construction requirement'' associated with the increase in end strength 
of the Army and Marine Corps. Nor has the Defense Department properly 
accounted for the tremendous increase in the cost of realigning its 
force structure. And I am concerned that the Defense Department is 
proceeding with major new construction at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti 
even before the new AFRICOM commander has been confirmed, thereby 
undermining the stated goal of creating a more cohesive and coordinated 
approach to security in Africa. As chairman of the Subcommittee on 
African Affairs of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I am 
committed to ongoing oversight of the role of our Armed Forces in the 
overall U.S. strategy towards the African continent.
  In conclusion, I am pleased that the Senate voted today to support 
the needs of members of the Armed Forces, the Reserves, veterans and 
their families. They have served our Nation selflessly and deserve our 
enduring support.

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