Political Quotes

“amendment No. 3853 is very simple. It would cut 10 percent from this Defense bill, excluding military personnel and the Defense Health Program, and it would use those funds to provide direct dental care to all veterans eligible for healthcare from the VA. We are now spending over $1 trillion a year on the military--more than the next nine nations combined. While Congress has cut funding for housing, education, nutrition, this bill increases military spending by over 8 percent. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is the only major Federal Agency not capable of passing an independent audit, and nobody denies that there is not massive waste, fraud, and abuse within the DOD. As the former chair of the Veterans' Committee, I agree with all of the major veterans organizations, that we have got to strengthen VA healthcare, and one of the gaps in that system is a lack of dental care. We have got veterans whose teeth are rotting in their mouth. They cannot get dental care. I think we should get our priorities right. Let's cut a very large military budget, spending much too much. Let's protect our veterans. Let's pass this amendment.”