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




                          FUNDING OUR VETERANS

  (Mrs. DRAKE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. DRAKE. Madam Speaker, this is day 37. That is 37 days so far 
that our veterans have not had the use of increased funding for their 
benefits and health care. That is $18.5 million a day not able to be 
used. In June this House passed this appropriation bill with a $6 
billion increase in a bipartisan manner. On September 6, the Senate 
completed their bill.
  This work is done; yet the bill has not been sent to the President 
who has agreed to sign it. And why? Because the Democratic leadership 
has decided to use funding for our veterans as a smoke screen in an 
effort to pass billions in unrelated domestic spending.
  Our veterans are not pawns in a political game. They are heroes. 
These funding issues must be considered separately and on their own 
merits. America expects us to get the job done. America expects us to 
provide the best care to our veterans. Our veterans deserve no less.
  Please join me in calling upon the Democratic leadership to put our 
veterans first and send a clean veterans appropriation bill to the 
President.

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