Patty Murray: “I rise this morning to again talk about the situation facing our veterans. I thank my colleague from Illinois for his…”

“I rise this morning to again talk about the situation facing our veterans. I thank my colleague from Illinois for his dedication to this issue and his tremendous work and support as we have tried to raise this issue for a number of months. So all of my colleagues know, I came to the floor of the Senate early this year to talk about the situation facing those soldiers who have worked so honorably for this country in past wars and for those who are returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan today and the need to keep the promise that we gave to all of them that when they return we will provide them with the health care they need. When I was in my State earlier this year, in January, I met with a number of the service organizations and the military to talk about reintegration, to talk about what happens to our soldiers when they return home, to make sure they have the services available to them, and to make sure they are taken care of. Many in those meetings were deeply concerned that we would not have the facilities available for them. They told me of already long waiting lines at our veterans clinics and our VA hospitals. They told me of soldiers who could not get appointments for as many as 6 months or 3 years. They told me of a looming budget crisis. When I heard that, I talked to other organizations across the country and realized that we were, indeed, facing a tremendous shortfall at the VA.…”