Congressional Budget for the United States Government for the Fiscal Year 2006

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET FOR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2006 -- (Senate - March 16, 2005)

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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I commend my colleagues from Hawaii and Illinois for standing up for veterans in this country and for their passion for their States and the people they represent.

We are here this afternoon because veterans throughout our country are waiting for the health care they have been promised, and it is our responsibility to make sure it is delivered. They are facing understaffed and overcrowded VA hospitals. They are dealing with paperwork and redtape, and they are not getting the service we promised them when we sent them to fight for all of us.

Every day the system is getting more and more crowded and the waiting lists are growing longer, and this body has to do something about it. I have heard several claims from the other side, and I want to take a few minutes to refute a few of them.

They claim we are going to be raising taxes. I remind you there will be $65 billion in this budget for tax cuts when our amendment passes. I believe we have a responsibility in this country to make sure we keep the promise to our veterans, and that is why I believe our amendment is responsible in its funding mechanisms.

Second, we have heard our opponents say that veterans funding has gone up by 43 percent, so veterans do not need another dime. I remind my colleagues that the number of veterans in VA care has gone up by 88 percent at the same time that medical inflation has gone up 92 percent. Inflation is rising, the cost of care is rising, and the number of veterans is rising. Forty-three percent is commendable, but it does not meet the promise we made to our servicemen when we sent them overseas that we would care for them when they returned.

Another claim we have heard over and over again is that the VA is sitting on $500 million. That does not stand with this Senator. I believe the VA officials here in Washington, DC, have a responsibility to get those funds out to our veterans across this country. They are in waiting lines. We do see clinics that are not opening or are closing. Our veterans need the services and the VA should not be withholding that money and it should go out there.

We have also heard from our opponents that veterans funding has increased by $900 million. That is simply not true. We had printed in the RECORD last night the true cost, which is $80 million, far less than the $900 million we have heard on this floor.

Let me just say I know veterans organizations across this country--VFW, AMVETS, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Disabled Veterans of America, American Legion, Vietnam Veterans--many other veterans organizations are watching us. They know there is a difference between the amendments offered on the Republican side and Democratic side. On the Republican side they are offering an additional $410 million; on our side, $2.85 billion--the difference between serving 68,000 additional veterans and 475,000 veterans; the difference between telling veterans, some of them, that they will be in waiting lines or will not get their service, and the ability for us to serve all of them.

Let me end my time today on this amendment by reminding all Senators what George Washington said back in 1789. I think it holds true today more than ever.

The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their country.

These words hold true today. Voting for our amendment on our side will assure that we show these veterans that we appreciate and support their service. It will send a message to the next generation of young men and women we are asking to serve that we keep the promise.

I appreciate the Senator from Idaho, the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, for offering his amendment. But I say the veterans will know which amendment will make a difference in the lives of veterans across this country and I urge my colleagues to support the Akaka-Murray amendment.

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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, Senator Ensign's amendment is a nice gesture, but we all know that a wink and a nod is not going to make the waiting lines go away for the 700,000 veterans who are serving us honorably today. We all know about the understaffed and overcrowded VA hospitals. We know about the paperwork. We know about the redtape. We know our veterans are waiting for prescription drug coverage. They are waiting for posttraumatic stress syndrome treatment. That is for the veterans who have already served.

On top of that, we have new veterans coming home today, and it is our responsibility to make sure we do more than a gesture. That is what the Akaka-Murray amendment is that we will vote on after this amendment. I urge the adoption of the Murray-Akaka amendment. That would be the real vote to say whether we care for our veterans.

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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, the Senate is now going to consider the real amendment on whether we are going to help our veterans. The amendment we just passed was a token amount of money to help our veterans--laudable but nowhere near what we need. The amendment we are now considering will provide the funding so the 700,000 veterans who are waiting will get the services they need.

Why do we need this? Because the number of veterans receiving veterans care has gone up 88 percent. Medical inflation has gone up 92 percent. We made a commitment to those who serve us that we will be there to serve them. That is our responsibility.

Across this country, veterans are calling to see if we keep our promise to America's veterans to fund health care now. That is what this amendment will do. It is our responsibility. It implies we will keep the promise we made when we asked young people to serve us overseas, that we will be there when they come home. It is the responsibility of this body, and I urge its adoption.

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