Time to Stop Playing Games with Vets' Funding

Statement

Time to Stop Playing Games with Vets' Funding

One hundred and forty days.
That is a long time to wait for anything, let alone the completion of a bill funding veterans' health care and housing initiatives.

The House of Representatives passed the Military and Veterans Appropriations bill on June 15, 2007, by the overwhelming vote of 409-2. The Senate passed its own version on September 6, 2007. Though the Senate wants to proceed, the House has delayed and delayed.

We ask so much of our military men and women, they deserve our help when they come home. This Congress has the responsibility to do the job we were sent here to do, which is to provide the funding our veterans need for their health care and well-being.

This bill - required annually - has historically passed with strong bipartisan support, and President Bush has called on Congress several times to send him the bill supporting our troops and veterans.

Political gamesmanship, however, has reared its ugly head. A movement to combine the Veterans Appropriations funding bill to another appropriations measure - a measure which has drawn a veto threat because of its huge price tag - appears likely to come to fruition.

I realize we are running out of time to pass the bills which fund our government. In fact, this is the first Congress in 20 years that has failed to send even a single appropriations bill to the President at this late of date.

But the tactic of linking a must-pass, widely-supported funding bill with legislation containing billions of unrelated spending - days before Veterans Day no less - should upset everyone, especially those who have served and are serving to defend our freedom.

It is important to note the House of Representatives has acted on important veterans-related legislation, including a bill directing the Secretary of Veteran Affairs to develop and implement a comprehensive program designed to reduce the number of suicides among veterans.

The Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act (H.R. 327) creates an outreach program for veterans and families of veterans, placing emphasis on providing information to affected parties and establishing a peer support counseling program.

Still, with more than half of the legislation this Congress has sent to President Bush dedicated to naming courthouses and post offices, I remain disappointed the House Leadership has not found time in the Congressional schedule to take care of our troops.

It's time to stop playing politics with our veterans' well-being. I want to see both H.R. 327 and the Veterans spending measure passed into law, and soon.

Our troops don't have the luxury of time as they fight on the front lines against our enemies. They've waited long enough for this bill to pass, and its time for Congress to deliver.

Source