    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [August 20, 2001]
    [Pages 994-997]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 994]]

    Remarks at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention in Milwaukee,
    Wisconsin
    August 20, 2001

        Thank you all. Thank you very much. At ease. [Laughter]
        Thank you for that warm welcome. Before I begin my address, I know
    you'll want to join me in paying tribute to a fine friend and a good man
    who left us last week. We mourn the loss of Floyd Spence, who served our country well as a Congressman from South
    Carolina. He was chairman of the Committees on National Security and on
    the Armed Services, a senior member of the Committee on Veterans
    Affairs. He was a strong advocate for national defense. Our prayers are
    with his wife, Deborah, and his four sons.
        My, time flies. I was here a year ago, minus one day. [Laughter]
    Since then, I have had a change of address--[laughter]--and I received a
    great honor. Another honor comes to me today: to speak as Commander in
    Chief to the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States of America.
        Today I bring the respect of our Nation and a special greeting from
    one of your own members, from VFW Post 4344 of Houston, Texas, the
    former President George H.W. Bush.
        I want to thank your commander in chief. John has been in the Oval Office. He is a true advocate for the
    veterans. He has done a fine job. And like me, he married well. And I
    want to congratulate John's successor, Jim Goldsmith. And I look forward to working with Jim, just like I have
    with John. I also want to thank Bob Wallace. I
    want to thank Bob Wallace, the VFW's man in Washington, DC, for working
    closely with my administration and representing your interests very
    well. I want to thank Pat Jankowski of
    the Ladies Auxiliary, who are gathered here as well in Milwaukee, and I
    want to thank her for her leadership. And I want to congratulate Diana
    Stout, who will become the incoming president of
    the Ladies Auxiliary.
        As well, I want to thank the Governor of Wisconsin, Scott
    McCallum, for his hospitality, and I want to
    thank all the good people of Wisconsin, particularly Milwaukee for being
    such a welcoming city to this great convention.
        And I want to pay tribute to a good friend of mine and a good friend
    of yours, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Tony Principi. Last year he was giving me advice about veterans
    affairs. This year he sits around the Cabinet, making sure I understand
    what we are doing in veterans affairs. And I appreciate so very much
    Tony's return to public service. He is doing a fine job.
        I want to thank you all for having me come to this convention. I
    have been looking forward to this visit. I appreciate every chance I get
    to travel our country. It is important for a President never to become
    isolated in the seat of power. As great and influential as that city is,
    sometimes the President just has to get out of Crawford, Texas.
    [Laughter]
        This is a fine organization. General Douglas MacArthur called the
    VFW the greatest organization in the world. He and his dad were both
    members, and they would be proud of all you have done for your country,
    and they would be proud of the more than 1.9 million members of the VFW.
        Each one of you is a living example of a special kind of patriotism,
    the love of country, expressed not just in word but in lifetimes of
    service. You defended America in hours of need. You help your fellow
    veterans in times of their need. And you have done so much to build the
    character of our young people, to teach them to live by good values, to
    honor their parents, to

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    trust in God. You helped them to appreciate freedom, to love America,
    and to respect our flag. You understand as well that showing a basic
    respect for our Nation's flag is not merely the option of every citizen;
    it should be a matter of constitutional law.
        In Europe last month, one of my last stops was Camp Bondsteel in
    Kosovo. I went there to thank our service men and women for their
    sacrifice for our Nation. I took the occasion to make good on a promise
    by signing a bill to allocate over $2 billion in additional
    appropriations for military pay, benefits, health, and housing. To
    restore the strength and morale of America's Armed Forces, we must first
    take care of the people who wear our uniform. I believe we're making
    every branch of service a place where men and women are proud to serve
    and, as importantly, proud to stay.
        My administration understands America's obligations not only go to
    those who wear the uniform today but to those who wore the uniform in
    the past, to our veterans. And at times, those obligations have not been
    met. Veterans in need of care have been kept waiting, and thousands of
    veterans' claims have been delayed or, in some cases, lost in the
    bureaucracy.
        Many veterans have observed that the Government seemed to work a lot
    more efficiently when it wanted something from them. When the draft
    board got your file, it worked efficiently. [Laughter] But now, when you
    need health care, forms get lost and answers come late. That is no way
    to treat America's veterans, and that is going to change.
        Secretary Principi is conducting a
    top-to-bottom review of the claims processing. Currently, there are
    about 600,000 pending applications, of which 53,000 have been pending
    over a year. Many of those belong to veterans over 70 years of age.
    That's not right. I have given Secretary Principi the clearest of clear
    mandates: He must bring those claims to a speedy and fair resolution. We
    must move as quickly as possible on the backlog, and we will. We will
    improve cooperation between the VA and the Department of Defense in
    providing care to those who served.
        In May, I signed an Executive order creating a Presidential task
    force to recommend major reforms in the delivery of health care to
    veterans and military retirees. Two distinguished Americans will lead
    that task force: Dr. Gail Wilensky, an expert
    on health policy and a faithful friend to the veterans, and former
    Congressman Gerry Solomon. One might be
    tempted to call him an ex-marine, but we all know there is no such thing
    as an ex-marine.
        We are making great progress on implementing the Veterans Millennium
    Health Care Act to ensure that our veterans receive high-quality care.
    In the budget I submitted to Congress, I requested an increase of $1
    billion, additional money for veterans services. Secretary
    Principi recently announced new health
    care facilities for veterans: 6 new centers for Parkinson's disease
    research and care and 41 new outpatient clinics in 28 States.
        Veterans are a priority for this administration. I put a good man in
    charge, and that priority is reflected in my budget. Our budget also
    meets the most fundamental responsibility a President bears, to provide
    security for the United States of America. Not only does the budget take
    care of our people, we give today's military what it needs to operate:
    equipment, spare parts, advanced training. In all, I've asked Congress
    to provide our military an increase of $39 billion over the original
    2001 appropriations. This is the largest increase in military spending
    since Ronald Reagan was the Commander in Chief. We are not only going to
    spend more on national defense; we're also going to spend it more
    wisely.
        Secretary Rumsfeld is charged with
    developing a strategy to bolster today's military, and he is charged
    with developing a strategy to develop a military that is ready to defend
    America tomorrow as well. A

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    modern military requires major investment in research and development so
    that our military is always the finest in the world. And something I
    offered last year as a promise is today a commitment: to research,
    develop, and deploy a defense against ballistic missiles.
        These are the priorities I submitted to Congress in February and
    priorities reflected to the budget amendment in June. I trust they will
    be reflected in the appropriations bills Congress sends me this fall for
    my signature.
        As we enter the appropriations process, I have great hopes but no
    illusions. Washington has its own way of doing things, especially around
    the time of year when final appropriations are made. The spending bills
    are passed one after another, 13 in all. Everybody in Washington knows
    there is a budget, but new spending gets thrown in along the way.
    Finally, when it is time to pass the last bill, they realize they are
    just about to go over the budget. And often, and sadly, the final bill
    has been the defense appropriations bill, and therefore, defense
    appropriations has gone without adequate funding. That's the old way of
    doing business. That's old style of thinking.
        I have a better idea. Let's abandon the old ways of gamesmanship,
    standoffs, and Government shutdowns. Let us keep our priorities straight
    and start with the things that matter most to our country's security and
    our country's future. This year, let us have responsible spending from
    day one and put the national security and education of our children
    first in line when it comes to the appropriations process.
        I hope you all watch very carefully. It's important that people pay
    attention to what goes on in Washington. It will be an interesting
    signal about the priorities of the leaders of the United States Congress
    when they let those appropriation bills out to come to my desk.
        I'm confident I can work with Congress on appropriations because we
    have worked closely together on other issues. We saw bipartisan votes on
    the budget itself. And they passed and I signed and the mailman is
    delivering the first major income tax relief in a generation.
        And we also worked together in honoring veterans. Members of the VFW
    have long advocated a fitting memorial to those who served in the Second
    World War. The World War II Memorial has been in the works for an
    awfully long time. The final obstacles have been removed. I've signed it
    into law, and soon the veterans of World War II will have their place of
    honor in the heart of our Nation's Capital.
        In the heart of Washington, DC, that monument will stand for all
    time as a reminder of service and sacrifice. Not far away are monuments
    to those who fought in other wars across the world. For all of you,
    service in time of war was a defining experience in your life. Your
    brave and selfless conduct has defined the best of our country.
        America does not seek to produce more generations of war veterans;
    we are a peaceful nation. But we'll always need the commitment and
    courage and honor that we find in our veterans. Those who have worn the
    uniform have made a contribution not just to the defense of our Nation
    but to the character of our Nation. You've given your best to America,
    and in so many ways you are the best that is in America.
        For all that, you have the deep respect of those who wear the
    uniform today, the Commander in Chief as well. And you have the
    gratitude of a Nation that is in debt.
        Thank you for letting me come. May God bless our veterans.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:20 a.m. at the Midwest Express Center.
    In his remarks, he referred to David, Zack, Benjamin, and Caldwell
    Spence, sons of the late Representative Floyd Spence; John F. Gwizdak,
    commander in chief, James N. Goldsmith, senior vice commander in chief,
    and Bob Wallace,

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    Washington office executive director, Veterans of Foreign Wars; Patricia
    Jankowski, president, and Diana Stout, senior vice president, Ladies
    Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars; and Gov. Scott McCallum of
    Wisconsin. The President also referred to Public Law No. 106-117, the
    Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act; and Public Law No.
    107-11, to expedite the construction of the World War II Memorial. The
    Executive order of May 28 on the President's Task Force To Improve
    Health Care Delivery for Our Nation's Veterans was published in the
    Federal Register at 66 FR 29447.