Steve Pearce: “we call our veterans from World War II America's greatest generation but our actions don't always hold water. I rise…”

“we call our veterans from World War II America's greatest generation but our actions don't always hold water. I rise today to offer an amendment to the Military Construction- Veterans Affairs appropriations bill which would ensure veterans are appropriately reimbursed for mileage travel to and from medical facilities in New Mexico or large rural States. Many times people in my county, 305 miles away from Albuquerque one way, are directed to drive to Albuquerque. These people, many are like my father in their 80s, they cannot travel 5 hours one way. It's unthinkable that we do that. It's unconscionable that we only pay them 11 cents a mile. From Hobbs to Albuquerque, 305 miles one way, the reimbursement is $34. I would like to ask anyone in this chamber how they would expect to drive 305 miles for $34, but even worse, the Veterans' Administration takes a fee when they get there. Approximately $7.50 of the $34 is then sacrificed to the VA. No allowance is made to sleep overnight. No allowance is made for hotel. No allowance is made for any circumstance except turning around and driving another 5 hours to get back home. We are reimbursing all that driving at 11 cents a mile. Meanwhile many of us in government jobs, all Federal officials are reimbursed at 48 cents per mile because that's the going rate. That's the rate that we should be paying, and yet to America's Greatest Generation, we're paying 11 cents a mile.”