Barney Frank: “let me say, I believe we have too little in here for veterans health care. I have to say, however, this $4 million…”

“let me say, I believe we have too little in here for veterans health care. I have to say, however, this $4 million, especially as the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) explains it, is not a threat to veterans health care. Now, losing $20 billion so Bill Gates does not pay any estate tax, that cuts into veterans health care. Lavishing money on wealthy people in tax cuts elsewhere cuts into veterans health care. A military appropriation that goes way beyond what is reasonably necessary, that gets into veterans health care. What we have here, and everybody understands this, they will go to the conference, and they can come out and account for this however they want. What we have here is legislation which has a stricture against using money to contribute to the Justice Department so we can have an adequately funded lawsuit. If this amendment is defeated and if this bill passes with antitobacco lawsuit language in it, we all know that it will be interpreted by many in the leadership of the Republican Party working with the tobacco industry on this particular point to say no lawsuit at all. It will be part of a campaign to get the lawsuit dropped altogether.”