Betty Sutton: “I only wish the same commitment and tenacity on behalf of veterans that is being expressed here today continues into the…”

“I only wish the same commitment and tenacity on behalf of veterans that is being expressed here today continues into the future, and I wish that it had been a little bit more at the surface in the past. As you know, Mr. Speaker, the Democrats, when they came into the majority in this House, passed the biggest increase for veterans health care in history. They passed in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill $6.7 billion above the fiscal year 2007 budget, which, by the way, was the largest single increase in the 77-year history of the VA, $3.8 billion above the President's request. So we are indeed on the same page in terms of protecting our Nation's veterans, and we are working diligently, not just with our words, but with our votes and with our actions to make sure that we live up to the promise that we make to our veterans.”