[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 21]
[House]
[Page 29774]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  DEMOCRATS PRIORITIZE VETERANS NEEDS

  (Mr. WALZ of Minnesota asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. WALZ of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, as this Nation prepares to 
honor our veterans on Veterans Day, this new Democratic Congress has 
shown an unwavering commitment to those who have served this Nation so 
bravely.
  We have passed a Wounded Warrior Assistance Act that takes the first 
steps to address the problems brought to light in the Walter Reed 
scandal by improving outpatient medical care and restoring efficiency 
by cutting bureaucratic red tape.
  We have passed legislation that focuses on posttraumatic stress 
disorder by requiring a program to reduce suicide among veterans with 
suicide prevention counselors at all medical facilities.
  And we have passed a veterans appropriation bill that provides the 
largest investment in veterans health care in the 77-year history of 
the VA. We plan on sending that funding bill to the President's desk 
this week after a vote on this floor today.
  Madam Speaker, a budget is far more than a fiscal document. It is a 
reflection of this Nation's values. America's veterans bravely served 
this Nation and were promised health care to meet the needs to take 
care of them once they returned home. This new Democratic Congress is 
committed to fulfilling that pledge.

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