Cord Byrd: “our country is now involved in two wars--not one, two wars; one in Afghanistan and the other in Iraq. Each day we read…”

“our country is now involved in two wars--not one, two wars; one in Afghanistan and the other in Iraq. Each day we read in the newspapers about the human toll this nation is paying. As of today, 1,730 troops, men and women, have been killed in Iraq; 194 have been killed in Afghanistan and elsewhere. The toll of these wars is also borne by those men and women who carry the scars of battle. In Iraq, more than 13,000 troops have been wounded. In Afghanistan, 476 troops have shed their blood in service to our country. The American people thank these servicemembers for their sacrifice. However, late last week, Congress learned that the Department of Veterans Affairs has been shortchanged in its mission to provide medical care to these warriors and all of the other men and women who have served in time of war before them. Now, this is a shame. This is a sham. If our Nation owes just one thing to all of those men and women who have risked their lives in answer to our country's call, it surely must be, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, ``to care for him who shall have borne the battle.'' It is a shock that the administration has only now revealed it has not budgeted the funds to fulfill this mission. I offer an amendment this afternoon on behalf of Senator Patty Murray, myself, and Senator Feinstein to provide $1.42 billion in emergency funds to address the shortfall in health care funds for the Department of Veterans Affairs.…”