[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11492]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            KEEPING OUR CONTRACT WITH OUR NATION'S VETERANS

  (Mr. FILNER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. FILNER. When the Democrats became the majority of this Congress 
earlier this year, we promised to keep our contract with our Nation's 
veterans, to keep our contract.
  So how have we done during the first four months as Democrats? 
Wherever we stand on the war, wherever we stand on the war, we are 
committed to make sure that every young man and woman who returns from 
that war gets all the care, the love, the attention, the honor, respect 
and dignity that this Nation can bestow.
  And in the first three budget bills that went by this House, in the 
last 3 months, we were able to add over last year's total over $13 
billion for veterans health care; $13 billion, that's almost a 30 
percent increase over last year. The biggest in the history of the 
Veterans' Administration.
  And we're going to use that money to make sure that the terrible 
brain-injured veterans that come back, those who have physical scars or 
mental scars (PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) will get all the 
care that an advanced Nation can give.
  As a nation, we are not doing our job now, but we Democrats are 
committed to making sure the job is done.

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