[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 23753-23754]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  ADVANCED APPROPRIATIONS FOR VETERANS

  (Mr. KLEIN of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, we in Congress will be able to 
make a

[[Page 23754]]

real difference for the military veterans who have served our country 
so honorably this week.
  From my first day in office, our local veterans groups in south 
Florida made it clear that one of their top priorities was securing 
advanced appropriations for the Veterans Administration. These 
dedicated servicemembers thought it was wrong that the VA, which 
provides health care and so many other critical services to our heroes, 
was subjected to the whims of an annual congressional budgeting 
process.
  Mr. Speaker, I couldn't agree more. The needs of our veterans are too 
important to be bogged down and held up in this process. Putting 
advanced appropriations in place allows the VA to plan ahead, improve 
service delivery, and make smart, fiscally responsible budget 
decisions.
  At long last this House will vote today on the Veterans Health Care 
Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009. This bill puts advanced 
appropriations in place, responding to the top priority of our 
veterans' organizations.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to speak out with one voice as 
Democrats and Republicans alike to support our veterans and pass this 
legislation.

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