Supporting Our Troops

Floor Speech

SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS -- (House of Representatives - March 23, 2007)

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today we passed H.R. 1591, the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health, and Iraq Accountability Act of 2007.

Mr. Speaker, in so doing, we will do at least three things: We will help our troops and support those troops who are in the field; we will provide assistance and care for our veterans who are at home; and we will also provide some assistance for the friends, the family, and the people who are in this country at the same time we are helping our troops.

I do want to remind people that the troops are there risking their lives so we can have a better life here.

In so doing we want to make sure that we take care of them, but we should also be mindful that their families and their friends back home have needs as well. This bill addresses troops in the field and family and friends who are left behind.

Let us just talk for a moment, if we may, about what happened today. We had a bipartisan bill to pass the House. Democrats and Republicans supported this effort. Members of Congress voted their consciences, and I do not begrudge any Member for any vote that a Member took. I do want to talk for a moment about what this bill will mean to the American people and especially to our soldiers who are in the field.

This bill provides $1.2 billion approximately for Afghanistan. It provides $2.8 billion for defense health; for veterans health, $1.7 billion; for readiness, military readiness which is important, we want our men and women, our soldiers, to be prepared, $2.5 billion.

But at home, we have some needs as well, and this bill addresses many of our needs at home. Aviation security is important to us, $1.25 billion. Port, transit and border security is important to us, $1.25 billion. Disaster relief is important to people who were left behind, $910 million.

There are those who have made comments about agriculture and the assistance that we are providing. Many of those persons who are in the field, who are in harm's way, came from the farm lands of America, and they have relatives who are still in need here. We must support the troops, but we can also do it and support the friends, relatives and family members that they left behind. So, yes, for agriculture disaster we have $140 million.

We also have many children in this country who are not getting the proper health care, many children without health care in the richest country in the world. If we truly want to leave no child behind, we have to do more than fund schools. If we want to leave no child behind, we have got to make sure every child that goes to school is healthy, that every child is mentally ready to embrace the learning process. We have $750 million for the CHIP program. This will help children have good health care.

There are wildfires in this country. Many family members and friends of our troops may have to suffer from an incident that could be prevented. So we do have wildfire suppression, $500 million.

But there are people who may not be related to the troops, who may not be a friend of a member of our armed services in harm's way, and they, too, deserve some assistance, $400 million for the energy assistance program.

I will close with this, Mr. Speaker, and I thank you for the time. We must protect and defend our country and we have to protect our military in harm's way and the people who are left behind.

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