John Chenoweth: “My concern is, is just keeping promises. The fact is, we have over $4 billion in new spending on HUD and EPA and CEQ…”

“My concern is, is just keeping promises. The fact is, we have over $4 billion in new spending on HUD and EPA and CEQ, but we are not expending one new, thin dime in veterans' health care. The fact is that there will be about 3,413,000 new veteran claimants this year. The fact is that World War II veterans are now old, they are aged, they are infirm, they are frightened, they feel alone, and now we are not keeping our promise because we have only set aside about $5,000 per year for each one of those veterans. That is not enough. They were willing to give their last full measure on the battlefield for us, and they won for us. We made a deal with them, and I think we better keep it. Theodore Roosevelt, our President, said that a man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to expect a square deal will be given to him when he gets home. I feel very strongly about that, and I believe that every veteran in this great Nation recognizes the need that he must fulfill in fighting for his country, and now we need to recognize the need of our veterans.”