Political Quotes

“The irony of today is that as many brave American servicemen and women are joining with our allies in a military campaign to bring an end to uncontrolled aggression, Congress is turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to the health care needs of its veterans. The budget resolution for next year provides a modest $900 million increase in funding for veterans' health care. This increase is one-half the increase recommended by the Republican majority of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. It is less than one-third the total increase for VA funding supported by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs Democrats. Would Members of Congress want to rely for their health care on a health care system as underfunded as the VA's? I doubt it. But Congress apparently has a different, lower standard for health care for our servicemen and women. Even more troublesome is the fact that its supporters tell us time and time again that it provides an unprecedented increase in funding for veterans' health care. What they fail to say is that the Republican budget provides an unprecedented decrease of $1.1 billion for Veterans' Affairs in fiscal year 2001.”