CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight - Transcript

CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight - Transcript
Friday, June 24, 2005

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PILGRIM: Sergeant Zedwick plans to attend Oregon State University in the fall and to enter an ROTC program and to become an Army officer. We wish him every success.

Veterans groups have long accused the Bush administration of not budgeting enough money to meet our veterans' medical needs, and yesterday, after lengthy questioning by Congress, the administration admitted that the Department of Veterans Affairs faces a $1 billion budget shortfall. My guest tonight says the current budget falls-shortfall is appalling-not surprising, though.

Senator Patty Murray, a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, joins me now. And thanks very much for being here.

SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D), WASHINGTON: Thank you, Kitty.

PILGRIM: You know, James Nicholson, secretary of the Veterans Administration, two weeks ago said there was no problem with money, and now a billion-dollar shortfall. That's a big oops, isn't it?

MURRAY: Well, I am saddened, I'm frustrated and I am angry. Many of us have been saying for a number of months now that our veterans hospitals, our veterans facilities do not have the money that they need to do, to take care of our soldiers that are out there today, much less the ones that are returning home. And we've been calling on the administration to be honest, and they finally just kind of told us yesterday that they are over $1 billion short. That is tremendous. And it is a real disservice to the men and women who have served us.

PILGRIM: Now the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee has a meeting on June 30. What do you expect out of that meeting?

MURRAY: Well chairman-the chairman of the committee, Senator Craig who is a Republican told me when I offered an amendment several months ago to make up for the short fall, and he opposed me. He said if I find out I am wrong we are going to sit down and work together to be able to fund this.

We are going to have a hearing next week in committee to have the administration come before us. And I call on them to be honest now, to not paper this over, but to tell us the actual figures so we can come up with the money. And I think we will have to do it with an emergency supplemental.

PILGRIM: You've studied this considerably, what are we lacking?

MURRAY: What are we lacking in terms of money?

PILGRIM: Yes. In terms of where we need to place it.

MURRAY: Well look, what the administration is saying is there's a short fall of over $1 billion. And they are going to take the money out of money we have allocated for maintenance and building and construction. First of all there's only $760 million, so there's not enough. But that is wrong. We are doing asbestos rebatement (ph), we're building clinic in many of our communities that don't have access now for our servicemen and women. We have a freeze on, a hiring freeze on. We need critical care nurses that need to be in our veterans hospitals.

For our soldiers who are coming home today who have been injured, we need to have the care there. For our soldiers who have performed for us so wonderfully in the past we need to make sure we have the facilities for them now. And we don't. And that's wrong.

PILGRIM: You were in Iraq just a few months ago-two months ago, what were you hearing there?

MURRAY: You know, I met with our soldiers from the state of Washington while I was there, and the question they asked me is-will my country be there for me when I get home? And most importantly, will I have health care when I get home as I was promised when I signed up? And it's our responsibility as part of the cost of war to make sure that's there.

And I really fault this administration for not being honest with the American public about what the cost of caring for our soldiers is, and budgeting for it. And now not being honest with us about the incredible deficit at the VA that we are now facing.

PILGRIM: Do you think we every it solved?

MURRAY: We don't have it solved. We have to come up with over $1 billion. And again, we can't paper this over, pretend it isn't there or make up numbers, we need to come up with real dollars. Now incredibly, over $1 billion, or we are going to be facing nursing shortages that just are wrong. We are not going to have the facilities for our veterans who are coming home, kids who have injured in the war, the facilities won't be there. And we cannot do that in this country, we owe it to the men and women who have served us so nobly.

PILGRIM: I think many of us would agree with that statement. Thank you very, Senator Murray.

MURRAY: Thank you.

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