Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014 - Motion to Proceed
Floor Speech
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Mr. DURBIN. I don't ask the Senator to yield the floor, but I would, through the Chair, address the Senator from Vermont.
First, I thank the Senator for his bipartisan effort with Senator John McCain which led to an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote on the floor
of the Senate to address what we consider to be a crisis in the Veterans' Administration. Press reports have suggested in the most extreme situation that some veterans' lives were being compromised because of the failure of providing timely care to these veterans. It resulted in an investigation of VA facilities all across the United States. It resulted in the resignation of the Secretary of the Veterans' Administration and promises for dramatic reform, but I have to say to the Senator from Vermont what he has accomplished with Senator McCain is tangible.
I would like to ask him two or three questions about the current state of affairs. How long ago was it that we passed on the floor of the Senate this bipartisan measure?
Secondly, did this measure involve emergency spending to deal with the emergency in the Veterans' Administration?
Third, did the House version of their VA reform include the resources the Senator from Vermont mentioned, the new doctors, the new nurses, the new facilities to accommodate this wave of veterans. Those are the three questions that I think are critical.
I close by saying thank you again and again, because as chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, the Senator has reminded us of the real cost of war.
There are many people who vote quickly to go to war who will not vote quickly to pay for the care we promised our veterans when they come home. Thank you for caring.
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Mr. DURBIN. Through the Chair, I would answer the Senator, without asking him to yield the floor, and say this: When we decided to embark on the invasion of Iraq and the invasion of Afghanistan, it was with at least the understanding of then-President Bush that these would be costs that would be added to the deficit of the United States. We would not be paying as we fought. We would be waging a war, spending the money necessary to wage it successfully, and we would deal with the cost of it at a later moment in time. Many of us, even those of us who voted against the invasion of Iraq--and I was 1 of 23 on the floor of the Senate voting against it--voted for the resources to wage the war, saying if our men and women in uniform are risking their lives, we will stand by them, equip them, and bring them home safely. I also believed and understood that I had an obligation to every one of those men and women in uniform, having promised them that if they would risk their lives for America and come home needing our help, whether it is health care or education or the basics of life, we would be there.
I say to the Senator from Vermont thank you for reminding us of the pledge made by America to these veterans and I believe the pledge made by Republicans and Democrats in Congress to stand by them when they came home.
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