Bart Stupak: “when America's troops volunteer to serve our Nation, they do so believing that the government that sends them into…”

“when America's troops volunteer to serve our Nation, they do so believing that the government that sends them into harm's way will live up to its promise to care for them when they return home. However, as we have seen from the debacle at Walter Reed and the current backlog of 400,000 benefits claims pending at the VA, our veterans do not always receive the level of service and care they deserve. Today, this Democratic Congress is taking a vital step in addressing these issues by bringing up a Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill that provides the largest increase in funding for veterans health care in the VA's 77-year history. The funding bill also allocates much-needed funding for mental health and PTSD services; additional funds for construction and modification of extended care facilities; and critical funding for the operation and maintenance of the Armed Forces Retirement Home. This legislation is critical to providing our Nation's veterans with the benefits their service entitles them to and gives the VA the resources necessary to ensure we meet their growing needs. It deserves strong bipartisan support today; and under Democratic leadership, they will receive it.”