John Hall: “today it was with great reluctance that I cast my vote against the Woolsey substitute budget amendment. I say it was…”

“today it was with great reluctance that I cast my vote against the Woolsey substitute budget amendment. I say it was with great reluctance because the progressive budget put forth by the amendment contained a great many individual provisions that I strongly support. I strongly applaud the inclusion of full funding for No Child Left Behind in the amendment, and believe that we as a Congress must continue to work toward that goal. For too long, the Republican majority and President Bush have forced local communities to bear the brunt of No Child Left Behind's mandates without sufficient Federal support. For the sake of our children, our schools, and our communities we need to rectify this. Likewise, I admire, respect, and support the amendment's commitment to full, guaranteed funding for veterans' healthcare. As the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan create a new generation of veterans with critical new healthcare needs, we must make sure that the VA healthcare system will be able to accommodate them while caring for veterans from previous generations. As a member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I remain committed to making sure that the VA can honor the sacred pact we make with our soldiers; that if they fight to defend our Nation, our Nation will make sure they have the care they need.”