Charles Skelton: “Mr. Speaker, my fellow Missourian Mark Twain once said, ``The more you explain it to me, the more I don't understand…”

“Mr. Speaker, my fellow Missourian Mark Twain once said, ``The more you explain it to me, the more I don't understand it,'' and I have a difficult time in understanding why we cannot go forward with this issue. The motion by the gentleman from Mississippi is well taken, and I thank him for it. I associate myself with the gentleman from Florida and with the gentleman from New York in their views. We in Congress need to ensure that our military retirees who have become disabled as a result of military service receive all the benefits to which they are entitled because of service-connected disabilities. This is not brain surgery. This is what is fair; this is what is decent. They are the ones who made the sacrifices for our wonderful country, and the least we can do is to ensure that we repay the debt that we truly owe them. Now, the House version of the authorization bill would authorize the payment of military retiree pay and VA disability compensation for all military retirees who are at least 60 percent disabled. The Senate version, more expensive. The Senate version of the bill would authorize both the military retiree pay and the VA disability compensation of any retiree who has been determined to be disabled at any percentage. Well, out of all of this, there ought to be a compromise that we can live with.”