Political Quotes

“I rise today as a cosponsor and an ardent supporter of H.R. 4013, the Veterans' Health Programs Improvements Act. This bill would exempt the Veterans' Health Administration from a White House proposal that would cut 25,000 VHA full-time positions. This bill, Mr. Speaker, is intended to keep the VHA strong during a time of tremendous and unprecedented change. Once Congress passes health care reform legislation, the VHA will begin an era of reorganization. If the President's health care package passes, the VHA will be forced for the first time to compete for its patients. The VHA expects its workload to be enormous in the coming years as it tries to cope with the changes brought on by new health care reform laws. To propose a decrease in the VHA work force when it is certain to have an increase in its workload is unfair and illogical. As the medical arm of the Veterans' Administration, the VHA is charged with caring for many of the men and women who risked their lives for America and Democracy. For too many of these veterans, the VHA is the only medical care available. Let us not desert our veterans, Mr. Speaker, for they never retreated when we needed them. Health care is one of the few benefits we award veterans for their service--a benefit they earned with blood and sweat on the battlefield. We cannot strip them of this badge of honor. We owe it to our veterans, Mr. Speaker, to provide them with the best medical service they can be afforded.”