[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 23]
[House]
[Pages 31685-31686]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          FUNDING FOR VETERANS

  (Mr. ARCURI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, the Democratic Congress is wrapping up its 
first year with a proud record of providing real support for our 
Nation's veterans that starts to make up for lost time. We have passed 
historic increases in veterans health care benefits totaling nearly $12 
billion to meet the needs of those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, 
to make up for the President's past shortchanging of our veterans and 
to keep new fees from hitting veterans families.
  Along with focusing on veterans who are returning with PTSD and 
traumatic brain injuries, we address the military health and disability 
crisis brought to light by the conditions at Walter Reed Hospital, and 
we are providing the necessary oversight to ensure a scandal like that 
never happens again.
  This new Democratic majority is also working to make sure troops and 
their families, strained after multiple deployments in Iraq, get a 3.5 
percent pay increase, which the President called unnecessary.
  Mr. Speaker, we commemorated Veterans Day this past weekend. 
Democrats are proud of our accomplishments in honoring our veterans by 
providing them with health care benefits they deserve.

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