[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 21]
[House]
[Page 29776]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           MILCON-VA APPROPRIATIONS BILL NEEDS TO STAND ALONE

  (Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, our veterans and our 
troops have protected us from enemies, foreign and domestic, in the 
past decades and currently today.
  When has it become a part of our congressional activity to not fully 
protect their interests? Our VA appropriations bill passed the House 
over 140 days ago with strong bipartisan support. However, the House 
majority party never appointed conferees for the bill, where the Senate 
immediately appointed them.
  The military and veterans appropriations bill is now back on the 
floor with an additional bill attached. Our servicemembers, veterans 
and our troops, deserve the best that Congress can deliver to them. The 
MilCon-VA appropriations bill should not be an accessory for massive 
labor spending.
  Has politics blocked our activities in Washington where we cannot 
pass a military funding bill for our soldiers?
  I stand here today with so many others who join me in saying, our 
MilCon-VA appropriations bill needs to stand alone, unattached to 
another bill.

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