[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 21]
[House]
[Page 29775]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             DEMOCRATS USE MILCON-VA BILL AS POLITICAL TOOL

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, it has been 8 weeks 
since the Senate passed the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs 
appropriations bill and joined the House in demonstrating overwhelming 
and bipartisan support for this legislation. Yet, for two full months, 
the Democrat leadership has refused to send this important piece of 
legislation to the floor. They refuse to give our veterans the funding 
they deserve.
  This week the majority will bring the VA bill to the floor attached 
to the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations 
bill. Rather than send these bills to the President on a stand-alone 
basis, something the Democratic leadership promised they would do, they 
are using this VA bill as a political tool to push through other 
legislation.
  As a veteran and military parent, I know it is time that our 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle stop using the military and 
our veterans as a political tool to help advance their other spending 
priorities.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops and we will never forget 
September the 11th.

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