John Drake: “I have joined several of our colleagues in a letter requesting that the Senate majority leader end the partisan…”

“I have joined several of our colleagues in a letter requesting that the Senate majority leader end the partisan wrangling and move forward with the veterans appropriations bill. Our veterans have always been willing to man the front lines in the defense of this Nation and deserve to be honored for their service. From 2001 through 2006, this House increased funding for our veterans from $48 billion to $70 billion. This year the House came together in a bipartisan manner to increase funding for our veterans by an additional $6 billion. This is why I am so disturbed to read in Roll Call that Democratic leaders have made ``a decision to delay sending the veterans bill to the President so they can use it as leverage to pass other spending bills.'' In my mind, veterans and especially those waiting for services at VA facilities or working to secure their VA benefits are not bargaining chips. They are heroes. And we should not allow partisanship to interfere with our commitment to protecting their best interests.”