[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15415]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  AMERICA'S VETERANS AND THE SHUTDOWN

  (Mrs. BUSTOS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. BUSTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise again today to continue speaking out 
about the human consequences of this ridiculous government shutdown. We 
are now one full week into this shameful display of irresponsibility.
  Yesterday, I spoke with a man in my district named Joe Burton, who 
lives in Monmouth, Illinois. He is a decorated war hero, serving 21 
years in the military. As a retired Army sergeant, Joe received the 
Bronze Star for his brave service in the gulf war.
  But after honorably serving our Nation for so long, Joe is now 
worried sick about how this reckless government shutdown is going to 
impact him and his family. This tough guy is literally frightened about 
the shutdown and how it is affecting his VA disability payments. If his 
benefits aren't there and don't arrive, he has no idea how he will pay 
his bills or even how he will pay for his next meal. More than 
anything, he just wants to know how veterans like him across the 
country are going to make ends meet if we don't get this solved.
  Let's stop this nonsense now and do right by Joe and the others who 
have served our country.

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