John Bel Edwards: “for 2 years, our Nation's respected veterans' organizations, along with Democrats in Congress, have been predicting cuts…”

“for 2 years, our Nation's respected veterans' organizations, along with Democrats in Congress, have been predicting cuts in veterans' health care services due to inadequate VA health care budgets. In February, in fact, of 2004, nearly a year and a half ago, Republican chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), and his Democratic ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), in a bipartisan letter predicted the administration request for VA health care for this year would be $2.5 billion short. Now, Mr. Speaker, what was the reaction of the House Republican leadership? Did they stand up for veterans' health care needs in funding? No. They fired the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) from his job as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and even took him completely off the committee. That may be hard to believe, but it is true. The House Republican leadership punished a Member of Congress, a member of its own party, for putting loyalty to veterans above loyalty to the House leadership during a time of war. It is not only true, it is sad. To make matters worse, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), House Democrats, and veterans' organizations were right in saying veterans' health care services were underfunded and the House leadership was wrong.…”