David Obey: “We often see politicians try to wrap themselves in the flag, and we often try to see politicians pose for holy pictures…”

“We often see politicians try to wrap themselves in the flag, and we often try to see politicians pose for holy pictures every time the issue of veterans comes up. And America's very good at saluting veterans and playing the band when they go off to war. We haven't been as good in dealing with their problems after they come home. And so what we intend to do in the Military Construction bill, in the Defense bill, in the Labor-Health bill, and in a number of other appropriation bills is we intend to deal with all of the problems faced by veterans and their families and other families in this country. When veterans come home, they aren't just worried about whether or not they're going to get veterans health care. They also want to know whether the kids are going to be able to go to decent schools, taught by qualified teachers in decent classrooms. So we are going to be trying to see to it that programs such as title I and handicapped education are much more adequately funded than they would be under the President's budget. Medical research, believe it or not, veterans need the results of medical research just as much as and probably more so than many other Americans.”