[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6764]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS AND VETERANS HEALTH CARE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to talk about 
our supplemental, the bill that will be before us on this Thursday for 
a vote.
  It is very important that the American people understand what it is 
we are doing. We have no choice in the matter. Yes, we are Democrats. 
We are in the leadership, and we must move an appropriations bill that 
will, in fact, first and foremost support our troops.
  There is a lot that has been said on the other side of the aisle 
about the motivations about all that is here.

                              {time}  1900

  But there is another factor to this, Mr. Speaker, and that is the 
American people. The American people went to the polls in November, and 
they put Democrats in charge. They are the bosses. The bosses made a 
change of leadership. It is incumbent upon us as Democrats to lead.
  I want to make sure that the American people understand what is in 
this bill and why it is important. First of all, this bill fully 
supports our troops and especially our veterans in the need of health 
care. It ensures that U.S. forces in the field have all of the funds 
and resources they require. There is no cutting of funds in this bill.
  It directs more resources to the war against al Qaeda and the Taliban 
in Afghanistan, where the terrorists are, where the person is hiding 
who attacked this country on 9/11.
  I might add, Mr. Speaker, the people of Iraq did not attack us. The 
people who attacked us are on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. 
That is where this bill is putting more funds.
  It improves the health care for returning service members and 
veterans that is woefully neglected and has been woefully neglected 
under this administration. There is no question about it. The news 
items come out daily. All we need to look at is the situation at Walter 
Reed. This legislation stops the closure of Walter Reed Hospital and 
pours $2.8 billion into veterans programs, more than has been done in 
recent times.
  And, yes, it does what the majority of the American people want and 
begins to set a reasonable redeployment deadline schedule for us to 
come out of the civil war in Iraq so that we can better position 
ourselves to have a new Middle Eastern policy that reflects containment 
in that region and in a way that gets our young men and women out of 
the cross hairs of a civil war.
  Let me just be specific, if I may, Mr. Speaker, on the health care. 
As I said, there is $2.8 billion for defense health care, which is $1.7 
billion above what the President requested. It doesn't look like a cut 
to me.
  Additional funds supporting new initiatives to enhance Medicaid 
services for Active Duty forces, to mobilized personnel and their 
family members, who have been woefully neglected.
  This includes $450 million for post-traumatic stress disorder 
counseling. The psychiatrists have said on more than one occasion that 
there is a policy of sending our young men and women back into harm's 
way before they are mentally healed. There is a different way to 
determine whether you are mentally healed. It is more difficult than a 
physical wound that you can see.
  Four hundred fifty million dollars for traumatic brain injury care 
and research.
  Mr. Speaker, I just left Landstuhl Medical Center near Ramstein Air 
Base 4 weeks ago, and I saw firsthand the injuries to our soldiers. I 
was there. I talked with them. It was my third trip into that base. 
When you go to Landstuhl, you are seeing the injuries right as they 
come from downrange in Afghanistan and Iraq. So you are right there 
where it is, and I saw the need. That is why we put $730 million to 
prevent health care fee increases for our troops, $20 million to 
address the problems at Walter Reed, and $14 million in burn care.
  Mr. Speaker, I know my time is up. I just want to make sure the 
American people know the Democrats are putting forward a plan that is 
truly responsive to our troops and to our veterans.

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