David Obey: “I would simply like to reiterate to the gentleman what the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) has indicated; that when…”

“I would simply like to reiterate to the gentleman what the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) has indicated; that when we first discovered the possibility of the reduction of the beds for that facility that Senator Kohl and Senator Feingold and Senator Levin, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) and I sent a letter to the VA noting the illogical nature of closing the remote hospital beds while we had such an overlap in some of our largest urban areas. I talked personally with the leadership of the VA; and after that conversation, they made it quite clear to me that they had no intention of closing any of those beds in that facility. Certainly this budget has no provision for closing those beds. I appreciate very much the willingness of the VA to reconsider what, to me, was an ill-advised approach. I do think Members of Congress have to be careful because it is very difficult for us to be logically consistent if we are voting for budgets which appear to demand overall reductions and then if we object when specific reductions are then made in either our own areas or in our own favorite programs. But in this instance I am very happy that we received the response that we have from the VA. Mr. Chairman, I withdraw my reservation of objection.”