Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlelady from New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1739, the Veterans Backlog Reduction Act. As a retired military veteran, one of my top priorities is caring for our veterans. The sad fact is the VA is not honoring its commitment to our veterans today. There are currently over 900,000 claims waiting to be processed. The average wait for that back- log is now 272 days, or nearly 9 months. These are real people, real American heroes, who deserve disability benefits because they sustained injuries in service to our country. One of these is Michael Boren of Energy, Illinois. Michael came home from Active Duty in Iraq and Afghanistan with nerve damage, an injured back, and other physical problems. By every measure, Michael is legitimately deserving of disability benefits. The reason I know about Michael is because he contacted my office a few months ago when he was at the end of his rope and in danger of losing his home. Permanently disabled from his injuries sustained in service, he is unable to find gainful employment to sustain himself and his family. The VA couldn't coordinate his paperwork to make a ruling on his claim for nearly 19 months, all while he waited and worried without income. Too many veterans like Michael are threatened with home foreclosure, having their cars repossessed, their credit cards cut off, all because the VA can't get its act together. It's shameful.…”