Bob Filner: “In fact, the Democrats on the Committee on Veterans Affairs tried to offer a budget which included these items. Not only…”

“In fact, the Democrats on the Committee on Veterans Affairs tried to offer a budget which included these items. Not only did we not fail on that vote, we were not permitted a vote by the chairman of that committee, and as the budget rules point out, unless the budget that is accepted by the Committee on the Budget includes these items, the authorizing committee cannot later add them. So the gentleman's advice is good. I wish the chairman of the authorizing committee had allowed us to have a vote on these issues so we could include them in the budget, and now I am asking for an emergency designation to make sure that we keep our commitment to our Nation's veterans.”