Tom Harkin: “I ask my colleagues, what is the Department of Veterans Affairs planning to do to the veterans of your State? We are…”

“I ask my colleagues, what is the Department of Veterans Affairs planning to do to the veterans of your State? We are doing something here in the dark without any information on their impact on the States. My amendment simply says this, that if there is an increase like there is in this bill, that no State will get less than what they did last year. That means that Mr. McCain in Arizona and perhaps Mr. Graham in Florida and other sunshine States, they can get the increase, but at least do no harm. That is what my amendment does. It borrows from the adage: First, do no harm. We are about to rush in, make rash changes in the VA medical care funding allocations, and in a lot of our States, a lot of veterans are going to get hurt. So let us not do any harm. All my amendment says is--we will cede the increase--but let us next year hold the States harmless, that no State will get a cut next year. And then let us see what the VA's plan really does when they come to Congress next year. I reserve the balance of my time.”