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Murray Fights for Mandatory Funding for Veterans Health Care, Republicans Say No

Date: June 23, 2004
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Veterans Health and Health Care


Murray Fights for Mandatory Funding for Veterans Health Care, Republicans Say No

Today, Senate Republicans defeated an effort to provide mandatory funding for veterans health care. The amendment, co-sponsored by Senator Patty Murray and led by Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, would provide a 30 percent increase in funding for FY2005 and in subsequent years assure adequate funding levels to meet the needs of veterans in the system and inflation. Under the Daschle proposal, all vets would have full quality health care.

Following the vote, Senator Murray said:

"Today, we had an outstanding opportunity to make a landmark commitment to the veterans who've served us so well. Our veterans deserve health care they can count on, and we should provide mandatory funding to the VA so that veterans will know that health care will be there forever.

"A few weeks ago we learned the Bush Administration, if reelected, plans to slash the VA budget. And today, in that same spirit, Republicans said no to veterans. Our veterans deserve more, and from providing health care to family assistance to keeping VA facilities open in Washington state, I will continue to fight for them."

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