John Kerry: “I strongly support the Byrd amendment to strike title VI of division N from the omnibus appropriations bill. Title VI…”

“I strongly support the Byrd amendment to strike title VI of division N from the omnibus appropriations bill. Title VI includes a provision which would impose a 1.6 percent across-the-board reduction on all domestic spending. These cuts follow an earlier $9.8 billion reduction in domestic spending from the Senate Appropriations Committee passed spending bills. Together, these cuts will reduce domestic spending by more than $20 billion and will force punitive cuts in veterans health care, housing, education, homeland security, highway funding, Amtrak, the National Institutes of Health, Head Start, WIC and other important national priorities. Today, we are not meeting our promises to our veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, has consistently received inadequate resources to meet rising medical costs and a growing demand for its health services. In November 2001, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Principi identified a $400 million funding shortfall for fiscal year 2002. As a result of this shortfall, more than 300,000 veterans throughout the country are on waiting lists for medical care, and many must wait 6 months or longer for an appointment to see medical staff.”