Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, And Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. REED. Mr. President, I come to the floor today, as so many of my colleagues have, to reflect on the extraordinary tragedy that took place at Fort Hood, TX, yesterday. It is almost inconceivable such an event could take place.

As we sort through the motives and the rationale, which may take weeks, I think we, obviously, have to extend our deepest, sincerest condolences to the families of these men and women. They were there because they wanted to serve their country. They were there because they were willing to risk their lives in service to this Nation.

Tragically and inexplicably, it happened on a post in the United States not in a faraway land. I think this is a moment where we all have to stop, not only to extend our warmest condolences to the families, but also to reflect on the service and sacrifice of all the troops. Their continued willingness to serve and expose themselves to risk, to leave their families behind--all of this creates the pressure, the tension, the burden of soldiering in this moment in our history. We owe them more than we can repay them.

At this moment, I express my deepest condolences to the families and also to those soldiers who came to the aid of their comrades, who exposed themselves in a dangerous manner to try to get people to safety, to try to provide first aid to the wounded. They continue to be our heroes, and they always will be.

Mr. President, I would now like to speak on the military construction bill before us. I want to commend, obviously, my colleagues, Senator Johnson and Senator Hutchison, for their great work. I had the privilege for a short time to serve as the acting chairman of the subcommittee and worked very closely with both Senator Johnson, our chairman, and Senator Hutchison, the ranking member. They are both very committed and dedicated colleagues, and they have done a remarkable job.

This bill provides $134 billion for military construction, military family housing, and veterans affairs programs, an increase of approximately $429 million over the President's request.

This bill provides a total of $109 billion for the VA and increases funding for medical care by $4.2 billion over last year's funding.

For the first time, the bill includes advance appropriations for the VA's medical programs to ensure a stable and uninterrupted funding stream.

This bill also provides funding to combat homelessness among veterans. This is a priority of both Secretary Gates and Secretary Shinseki, and also Admiral Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This bill includes $3.2 billion for health care, support services, and housing assistance for homeless veterans.

I hope, again, the Senate will act before Veterans Day to pass this measure. I think it would be a fitting tribute to our veterans, whom we honor in words, and I think we have the chance, early next week, to honor them in deeds.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that my following remarks be printed elsewhere in Morning Business.

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