Cord Byrd: “Today is the 136th day of fiscal year 2007. It is past time to complete the remaining nine fiscal year 2007…”

“Today is the 136th day of fiscal year 2007. It is past time to complete the remaining nine fiscal year 2007 appropriations bills. Agencies have limped along through October, November, December, January, and half of February based on a very restrictive continuing resolution. Thirteen of the fifteen departments do not know how much money they will have for a fiscal year that is now one-third gone, one-third over. This is a deplorable way to run a government, any government, specifically the Federal Government--this Government. Under the existing continuing resolution, our veterans hospitals are confronting the need to deny health care to 500,000 veterans and to force 850,000 veterans to wait longer for their care. H.J. Res. 20 includes an increase of $3.6 billion to solve the problem. On this, the 136th day of fiscal year 2007, it is time to act.”