Tom Tancredo: “I appreciate the hard job that the distinguished chairman and the members of the committee faced as they drafted this…”

“I appreciate the hard job that the distinguished chairman and the members of the committee faced as they drafted this bill. It is a good bill, and I intend to support it. The amendment has been agreed to by the parties involved. It is about giving our veterans the facilities they need as they grow older and the care that they were promised as they chose to defend the country. Our bipartisan amendment will restore the State Extended Care Facilities Construction Grant Program funding to the FY 2000 level of $90 million. Currently the bill cuts the funding in this program to $30 million. In 2010, one in every 16 American men will be a veteran of the military over the age of 62. That is an amazing statistic. The increasing age of most veterans means additional demand for medical services for eligible veterans as the aging process brings on chronic conditions needing more frequent care and lengthier convalescence. This surge of older veterans will undoubtedly put a strain on our Nation's veterans' health services. At the current pace of construction, we will not have the necessary facilities to meet veterans' extended care needs.”