Lynn C. Woolsey: “I rise in sadness and in frustration over the news that the Nation finds itself $1 billion short of the funding that is…”

“I rise in sadness and in frustration over the news that the Nation finds itself $1 billion short of the funding that is needed to cover health care for our Nation's veterans this year. It is bad enough that next year's VA budget will almost surely be inadequate; now we are having trouble paying for this year's needs. Just as the architects of our Iraq policy did not have a plan for winning the peace, it appears that the budget experts in the executive branch did not plan for increased veteran costs associated with the deadly foreign war, a preemptive war that has killed over 1,700 troops and injured more than 13,000, a war that will certainly result in an increased burden on the Veterans Administration. This shortfall comes on the heels of efforts by the Bush administration to increase veterans prescription drug co-payments and to add an enrollment fee to enter the veterans health care system in the first place. There is even talk of classifying veterans in ways that entitle some veterans to benefits and leaves others on the outside looking in. How is this possible, Mr. Speaker, all the talk of supporting the troops, is this just rhetoric? Is it just bumper sticker boiler plate, or are we really serious about honoring the sacrifices of war and showing our gratitude to those who have risked life and limb on our behalf? What is even worse is that some people saw this budget problem coming and were ignored or rebuffed.…”