[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 21]
[Senate]
[Page 29686]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        VA-MILCON APPROPRIATIONS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we are now in the sixth week of the 
2008 fiscal year, and the majority still hasn't sent a single funding 
bill to the President for the 2007 fiscal year. It has been 20 years--
20 years--since Congress has waited this late in the year to send a 
single appropriations bill to the President. The Veterans 
appropriations bill, for example, passed the Senate 2 months ago but is 
still sitting in Congress.
  So why do our friends on the other side of the aisle continue to drag 
their feet on this very important measure? We know everyone agrees the 
bill is important and needed. We know our veterans have sacrificed for 
our country, and it is our duty--our duty--to provide for them. We know 
the bill holds wide bipartisan support, and the military construction 
part of the bill is important for providing housing, readiness, and 
improved quality of life for our troops. We also know the President 
will sign the veterans bill into law when he gets it. So why hasn't 
this bill been brought to the floor for a vote? Why haven't we had a 
vote on the veterans conference report? Shouldn't we put aside the 
gamesmanship and send this bill to the President so it can be signed 
before November 11, which happens to be Veterans Day?
  The majority has decided it wants to tie the veterans bill, which 
will be signed into law, to the Labor bill, which is approximately $9 
billion over the President's request, which, of course, will be vetoed. 
Now, some have said $9 billion is not much of a difference, but to put 
it into context, $9 billion is more than the individual budgets of 33 
of our States. It is more than the entire yearly budget for the FBI. It 
is more than the budget of the U.S. Coast Guard. More than that, this 
figure will serve as a starting point for next year's budget, and that 
will serve as the starting point for the year after that. In short, 
this increase will compound into $120 billion in more Washington 
spending over the next 10 years.
  To put this in context, for American taxpayers, for this same amount 
of money, we could have, instead, made permanent marriage penalty 
relief and permanent the expensing for small business and have 
increased taxpayers' standard deduction or we could have provided a 2-
year alternative minimum tax patch.
  So why attach a bill that overspends so dramatically it would not be 
signed into law and further postpone funding for our veterans? Our 
veterans deserve better. We shouldn't penalize them for the 
mismanagement and overspending of this Congress. We have a 
responsibility to send the veterans bill to the President at the 
earliest possible time. Providing funding to our veterans by Veterans 
Day, November 11, is still a realistic and attainable goal, and 
Congress should do it.
  The election was 1 year ago. It is time to get serious about funding 
our veterans. We must remember our current force is composed entirely 
of volunteers, and they have earned our support. If our colleagues are 
serious, they will bring the veterans bill to the floor. No gimmicks, 
no games. Let us get it done before Veterans Day.
  I yield the floor.

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