Cliff Stearns: “we had a large meeting today with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander and he had courage to tell it like it is. Now…”

“we had a large meeting today with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander and he had courage to tell it like it is. Now, it is clear that the budget proposed for the Department of Veterans Affairs by the Clinton administration falls short in almost every area. It appears that the VA is being sent a message that it can slowly begin to wind down. The hope is that the veteran will simply go to other carriers or providers. From the evidence contained in the VA budget, veterans can assume, and should consider, that the VA is to become a second-class health care provider. It is startling to reflect that at a time when this Government is paying benefits to Iraqi POW's to relocate in this country, our Nation's veterans find themselves being told there is not enough for them. For the record, I have introduced House Concurrent Resolution 141, which expresses the sense of the Congress that the Federal Government should terminate the policy of allowing resettlement of members of the Iraqi Armed Forces in the United States. One of the reasons I introduced H.R. 408, the Veterans Bill of Rights, is to insist that veterans receive the care and follow through on our promise to care for them--to continue to respect them as a cherished and distinct population. Truly, their sacrifice has been unique, their care and protection must be our first priority. Let us not tie the vitality and rejuvenation of the VA to any other piece of legislation.”