Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2005
EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2005--Continued -- (Senate - April 12, 2005)
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Illinois for his heartfelt statement. I know he has worked in his State, talking to young men and women who are coming home. He has looked them in the eyes as I have. I was with him in Kuwait and Iraq a few weeks ago talking to soldiers who are coming home.
The No. 1 question was: We are hearing that services are not going to be available for us when we get home. We are hearing that the veterans from Vietnam and World War II are waiting in line. We have been over here for a year.
They fear this country has forgotten them despite all the rhetoric on this floor. The Senator from Illinois is right. This is not a Republican issue. It is not a Democratic issue. This is an American issue. This is about our American men and women serving us honorably and who deserve to have the services when they come home.
The Senator from Illinois is right. To look into the eyes of a young family where one of them is suffering from posttraumatic stress syndrome affecting their marriage, job, their entire community, and what are we saying? Wait in lines. You don't get in to be served? That is not an emergency?
What we have now in front of us is a point of order saying this is not an emergency. If it is not an emergency to take care of our men and women who are now serving us overseas, who have come home, then I don't know what is. When I am going out and talking to service organizations and every single VISN in this country is telling us they are working under debts, they are not hiring doctors and nurses to replace those who are leaving, they have beds that are being held together by duct tape--if that is not an emergency, then I can't think of one that is.
We have talked to veterans in every single VISN. Every single one of them has given us dramatic stories of the wait lines, of clinics that have been promised and not opened, of service men and women from previous wars who are not getting served. This is not an emergency? I disagree.
I ask unanimous consent to add Senators Schumer, Johnson, Corzine, Lincoln, Landrieu, and Dorgan as cosponsors of the amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mrs. MURRAY. I ask unanimous consent to print two letters of support in the RECORD. They are from the national veterans service organizations: The American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Amvets, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Disabled American Veterans.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
THE AMERICAN LEGION,
Washington, DC, April 11, 2005.
Hon. PATTY MURRAY,
U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
DEAR SENATOR MURRAY: Thank you for offering an amendment to the H.R. 1268, FY 2005 emergency supplemental appropriations, to add $2 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care. VA medical care is truly the ongoing cost of war. You have The American Legion's full support.
VA is not meeting the health care needs of America's veterans. Currently, certain veterans are actually denied access to the VA health care system even though they are willing to make co-payments and have third-party health care insurance, while other face lengthy delays in accessing care. Although providing quality health care, VA cannot meet its own timely access standards simply because it lacks the health care professionals to meet the demand for services.
In 2003, the President's Task Force to Improve Health Care Delivery For Our Nation's Veterans cited ``eliminating the mismatch between demand and funding'' as a major obstacle. Last year, VA officials claimed to need between 10 and 14 percent annual increases just to maintain current services because of Federal payraises and medical inflation. VA health care is still the best value for the taxpayer's dollar.
As former active-duty service members, especially National Guard and Reservists, transition to their civilian lifestyles, many new veterans will turn to VA to address their health care concerns, especially those with mental health problems associated with combat. VA is a world leader in effective treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other readjustments problems. VA must be funded to make sure this newest generation of wartime veterans are properly cared for in a timely manner and not displace other veterans seeking care due simply to limited resources.
Once again, thank you for offering an amendment to add $2 billion for VA medical care. Timely access to VA medical care is an earned benefit from a grateful nation.
Sincerely,
STEVE ROBERTSON,
Director,
National Legislative Commission.
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THE INDEPENDENT BUDGET,
Washington, DC, April 6, 2005.
DEAR SENATOR: On behalf of the co-authors of The Independent Budget, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, we are writing to express our support for the proposed Murray-Akaka amendment to the FY 2005 Emergency Supplemental that would provide $1.9 billion in much needed funding for veterans' health care.
Providing health care to returning servicemembers is an ongoing cost of our national defense. Servicemembers who participate in a theater of combat are eligible for health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs for two years after separation or release from active duty, without regard for strict eligibility rules. VA hospitals are facing budget deficits and moving to reduce services. Neither the Administration's FY 2006 budget request nor the recently passed budget resolution, addressed the costs of providing needed health care. The Independent Budget has recommended an increase for VA health care of $3.5 billion for FY 2006. This amendment would provide the funding needed to care for these returning veterans, as well as provide the resources the VA needs to meet shortfalls that are affecting veterans today.
We ask you to support this amendment and to provide the dollars needed to care for servicemembers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as all veterans who rely upon the VA to provide their health care.
Sincerely,
Rick Jones,
National Legislative Director, AMVETS.
Richard B. Fuller,
National Legislative Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America.
Joseph A. Violante,
National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans.
Dennis Cullinan,
National Legislative Director, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, the VA is not prepared to deal with the soldiers who are coming home. So far 240,000 soldiers have come out of our service and are now available or have available to them veterans services; 50,000 already have asked the VA for care. This is an emergency.
As I talked about this morning, in State after State, in Alaska, where priority 7 veterans who are not enrolled in VA primary care are not getting appointments to date; in Colorado, where they have a $7.25 million shortage this year; in California where the VA hospital in Los Angeles has closed its psychiatric ward at the exact time we have generals telling us that at least 30 percent of our soldiers who are coming home from Iraq will need mental health care capacity and we have psychiatric emergency rooms being closed; in Florida, where there is $150 million deficit; in Idaho, where we have the Boise Idaho VA facility with a hiring freeze; in Kentucky, where we are having soldiers lie on broken tables because there is simply no money to replace any equipment there. In Maine, we have a $12 million deficit; in Minneapolis, $7 million shortfall--I remind the Senate, there are four facilities that see the most difficult, complex injuries once they have been discharged. Minnesota is one of them, and they have a $7 million shortfall.
The list goes on and on. This is an emergency. I cannot think of a more important issue facing our country today. I can't go home and look at my veterans in north central Washington who have to drive over a mountain pass 150 miles to get care today, who have been promised the health care clinic, and say: Sorry, my colleagues don't see this as an emergency.
Any one of us who has taken the time to sit down with our soldiers when they are discharged from the service and out in their communities--they tell us the stories such as the Senator from Illinois talked about, about the help they need getting through the nightmares, the posttraumatic stress syndrome, getting help with serious injuries where they have lost arms and legs.
We should not say on this Senate floor this is not an emergency. I am appalled that that is what the argument has come down to. I believe this vote is about whether we stand with our men and women. It is about whether you are going to vote with our veterans. I am stunned that there are those who say this one issue is not something that is an emergency.
Any one of us who has been out there working with our veterans--I come to this floor as a daughter of a disabled veteran. I lived with my father who was in a wheelchair most of his lifetime. I worked at a VA hospital long before I even thought about being in the Senate. I worked at the Seattle VA hospital during the Vietnam war. Any one of us who has taken the time to talk to people who served in wars and have come home know that if we don't have the care for them, we are doing a disservice not only to the men and women who serve today, but to the men and women whom we are going to ask to serve us in the wars to come.
This is an emergency. I don't care if the administration is saying the VA hospitals have the money they need. When we talk to them, they are all telling us they have a budget deficit, a hiring freeze; they are not replacing the doctors and nurses who are leaving, and they have equipment that is old, decrepit, falling apart, and dangerous. That is an emergency. It is one we have to deal with.
Mr. President, I see my colleague from Minnesota on the floor. I yield 2 minutes to the Senator from Minnesota.
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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I note that there is nobody from the other side on the floor. I am frankly not surprised, because I don't see how anyone can argue against making sure that our service men and women get the health care they need, whether it is for a mental or a physical need. We sent them to war. We should be there for them when they come home. Regarding this amendment, I have been trying to do this since the beginning of the year and I have been told this is not the time or the place.
I let my colleagues know this is our last chance this year to make sure our veterans have the care they need. There is no other opportunity. We are going to get to the budget at some point and to the appropriations cycle, and we are going to get to the point where we have an appropriations bill on the floor, and the budget already says there is no more money. We hear the administration say--when we talk about the VISNs, everyone tells us they don't have the resources. If you look at it, you will see these men and women don't have the care they need.
Mr. DAYTON. Will the Senator yield for a question?
Mrs. MURRAY. Yes.
Mr. DAYTON. The Senator knows this is an emergency supplemental, so it is not subject to the normal budget process. In my 4-plus years here, I have not witnessed another occasion where a budget point of order has been raised against any part of the emergency supplemental appropriations. Is the Senator aware of this happening before, or are veterans being singled out in this instance?
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I have to agree with my colleague from Minnesota. I have not seen that done before. What we are going to vote on is whether our veterans are an emergency so they can be included in the supplemental.
Mr. DAYTON. We are talking about an $82 billion supplemental here that the Senator has amended, which fits within the President's request--or most of it does. It is a small part of this, and it is the least we should be doing on behalf of veterans.
Mrs. MURRAY. The Senator is correct. Actually, the President sent us an $82 billion supplemental. The Senate is considering $80.1 billion. We have the means to still be less than what the President has sent us by adding this amendment. I sincerely cannot think of any other issue more important than to make sure that those men and women who served us, when they come home, have the services they need.
Ms. STABENOW. Will the Senator yield for a question?
Mrs. MURRAY. Yes.
Ms. STABENOW. I first thank the Senator from Washington State. She is exactly on the mark. I have joined with her on a number of occasions and appreciate her leadership on this issue of veterans health care.
Would she not agree that veterans should not have to go through the process every year, fighting every year to try to get what they need and, at the same time, knowing that they give us everything they are asked to do in terms of putting their lives on the line, keeping us safe? Our men and women in Iraq right now are doing that and we have made a promise to them. Would she not agree that as a country, every year it seems as though we are back here trying to keep the promise.
Mrs. MURRAY. The Senator from Michigan is correct. Frankly, I have joined her in trying to make veteran services mandatory so we are not here. It is disturbing to me that we are desperately pleading to our colleagues to call this an emergency. What are we doing to our soldiers when we tell them we are in a desperate fight on the floor of the Senate that we are going to lose on a partisan vote over our veterans? That is the wrong message to send to the men and women in the services. It should be part of our budget, part of the appropriations every year, that if you serve your country, you get your care. We don't have that now, so we are here in our last-ditch effort, last attempt, last ability to try to provide these services for the men and women in the services.
I find that appalling, but I will fight hard because I believe more than anything that we should be making sure if a young man or woman comes home from Iraq or Afghanistan, they are not turned away at their VA hospital. We need to make sure that anybody who serves in any war--Vietnam, Korea, or anywhere--is not turned away at a VA hospital. They should not be put in a bed held together by duct tape.
That is wrong. That is why we are here arguing now that this is an emergency, because we have not dealt with it in the past. We now have to deal with it, and I urge my colleagues to join with us on the last chance we have this year to keep our word to the men and women who have served this country honorably.
Ms. STABENOW. Will my colleague yield?
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, how much time do I have?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has 2 minutes 15 seconds.
Mrs. MURRAY. I yield for a question.
Ms. STABENOW. I wanted to share with my colleague--and then ask a question--the fact that this is an emergency in Michigan. We have a big State, 10 million people, a very large State geographically, where folks often have to drive a long way in order to get to VA assistance. They are now in a situation of having to wait up to 6 months oftentimes to see a doctor and to get the services they need.
I ask my colleague if she is hearing those similar stories around the country--that we wait 6 months, we drive hours and hours to get to a facility right now? Without the additional dollars, that is only going to continue and get worse. I wonder if that is what she is hearing as well.
Mrs. MURRAY. The Senator is exactly right. We are hearing that from every region, including yours. That is why this amendment is before us.
I have little time left. I see some colleagues on the other side are on the floor. They are going to make their arguments. Again, this is an emergency; this is part of the supplemental. We should not tell our soldiers that they are not an emergency when they come home.
I yield to my colleagues on the other side.
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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I do not see anybody on the other side who is going to speak. Let me just reiterate for everyone here. What we are talking about is an amendment for veterans, to make sure they have the health care and support they need when they come home from the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan.
What we have been very clear about is in every region across this country there is a debt and a shortfall. We have facilities that are decaying, and no money is being put in to fix them. We have long waiting lines. We have veterans in rural areas who are being told they cannot have health clinics. We are being told that veterans, the men and women who served us, have to travel over mountain passes and travel long distances to get the care they need. Most of it is inaccessible.
We are telling veterans who live in urban areas that the long lines in which they are waiting have to be there. We are telling suburban parents if they send their young son or daughter off to war, we are not going to be there for them when they come home.
I believe this is a emergency. I have outlined it this morning. I have outlined it again this afternoon. I heard from our colleagues on the other side that the Veterans Affairs Secretary, Secretary Nicholson, is saying he has the money he needs. He was on the job for 2 weeks when he said that. I invite the Secretary and any one of us to go out on the ground, go out to Michigan and Minnesota, go to Kentucky, go to Illinois, go to California, go to Texas, go to Idaho, go to any veterans facility and look and tell me there is not an emergency. Look in the eye of any VA doctor or nurse and tell them there is not an emergency. But more importantly, look in the eyes of the young men and women who served us.
I was in Iraq and Kuwait several weeks ago. I had to look in the eyes of 150 Guard and Reserve members who had just finished in Iraq for a year. Their No. 1 concern is they are hearing the facilities will not be available for them when they get home. Their No. 1 concern? Stress. A year on the ground in Iraq. They had heard from soldiers who had already gone home about the troubles they had with migraines, post-traumatic stress syndrome, reintegrating in the community. They want to come home, and we know the support is not there, and we tell them that is not an emergency.
I find it outrageous that this body can send to war our sons and daughters, husbands and wives, and say we will not be there for you when you come home; that we will tell them you will have to wait, your budgets are not a priority, your issues are not a concern to this body. I cannot think of a more important issue, I cannot think of a more important emergency, and I cannot think of anywhere else we are going to be able to deal with this this year.
If we do not provide the funds on the emergency supplemental before us, we will be here a year from now with story after story of young men and women who served us and then came home and were told no. That is an emergency.
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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I understand the other side yielded this time. Let me simply respond by saying we are talking about a supplemental bill that talks about the cost of the war. Part of the cost of war is caring for the men and women when they return home. As President Lincoln said:
We all have an obligation to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and for his orphan.
That is what this vote is about, whether we carry forward our obligations to care for those we sent to war.
I ask my colleagues to vote with us to override this motion that says this is not an emergency so our veterans can receive the care they deserve.
I yield the floor.
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