Barbara Boxer: “thank you. And I thank my colleagues who are working so hard on this emergency supplemental bill which has so many…”

“thank you. And I thank my colleagues who are working so hard on this emergency supplemental bill which has so many important issues that address the needs of our troops: the need to get the equipment they need, the protection they need, and the needs of the people in the area that was struck by Hurricane Katrina. But I have to say this war, as we know today--and the President said 3 years ago ``Mission Accomplished''--this is not exactly an emergency that he didn't know about, and the war should be paid for in the budget and not in an emergency supplemental. The war is known. The costs of the war were anticipated by some people whom this administration fired, and the costs of this war are spinning out of control. In my own State, about 23 percent of the debt is from people who are from California or based in California, and we are suffering mightily with these debts. The mental health problems of those veterans coming home are not being addressed in the appropriate way. We read about suicides which are off the chart, and divorces are off the chart. I have to say I am very disappointed and concerned and angry that Secretary Rumsfeld still hasn't appointed people to a mental health task force that this Senate voted on and said we ought to have, that the House accepted, and that the President signed into law.…”