[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5412]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          WALTER REED SCANDAL

  (Mr. COURTNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, the long-festering situation at Walter 
Reed's Building 18 is nothing short of a national scandal. I am pleased 
that the new 110th Congress is taking critical steps this week to 
investigate problems at the facility, and hold accountable leaders that 
allowed these conditions to deteriorate to this disgraceful state.
  Last week, I met with veterans from my district to express deep 
concern about the lack of adequate transportation for veterans, the 
increasing length of time it takes for veterans to receive benefits or 
access health care and the stagnant funding of the VA system over the 
last 6 years. And they describe a system unable to cope with increasing 
patients at a time of war.
  The challenges faced by these Connecticut veterans are emblematic of 
a military and VA health system swamped by the influx of wounded from 
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and shortfalls of funding to 
adequately care for them caused by the misplaced priorities of the last 
Congress.
  In the first days of this new Congress, we took an important step to 
address this problem by providing an additional $3.6 billion for 
veterans health care, yet as my constituents related, there remain 
critical issues that need to be addressed as we move forward. The men 
and women who serve this country deserve nothing less than a health 
care system worthy of their service and sacrifice.

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