Joe Cunningham: “it is always interesting, those that say they want to save taxpayer dollars, for 40 years big government, higher taxes…”

“it is always interesting, those that say they want to save taxpayer dollars, for 40 years big government, higher taxes, more spending. I even remember a $16 billion pork-barrel package when the Democrats were in power for parking garages in Puerto Rico and sickle fin fishes in dictionaries. But that is not the issue at hand. The issue is veterans' health care. The FEHBP is a far bigger issue than to pay for smoking for our veterans. Right now, civilians have the right to a wraparound program when they come under Medicare and they can take up FEHBP. The same person in an office in the Pentagon, a secretary gets that but someone in the military does not get FEHBP. There is going to be a bill on the floor that really helps, instead of a Band-Aid, fix FEHBP. Many of us under the Watts-Moran bill want the $100 million the first year and then to be escalated. That takes away a Band-Aid fix. If you are really interested in helping the military, let us not only vote for the manager's amendment, let us support it and let us increase it. That will add to TRICARE, it will help subvention, it will help Medicare for the military, and it will give them FEHBP which they should have gotten a long time ago. It is far more important than this in the transportation bill which some are demagoging.”