Jay Rockefeller: “Let's be very clear. The Senator from Minnesota is correct. For the Department of Veterans Affairs, under the budget…”

“Let's be very clear. The Senator from Minnesota is correct. For the Department of Veterans Affairs, under the budget resolution which is proposed, there will be tremendous damage to the Veterans' Administration and to the veterans of our country. It is axiomatic that the increase that is contemplated in the budget resolution simply will not work. It does not come close. If there is anything which is an immutable fact, it is that the cost of health care and the cost of paying those who deliver it goes up by more than a billion dollars a year, just for health care alone. That is across America, and that is true for the veterans. Beyond that, we have a very difficult problem of disability claims. We need $132 million for staffing and technology. My veterans in West Virginia are being told they are going to have to wait for a full year even for a preliminary examination of their disability claims. Lastly, we cannot forget our commitment to the final resting places of honor for our veterans. Our Nation's veterans cemeteries are falling apart in many cases. Graves are sinking. Tombstones are breaking. That may seem incidental to some. It does not seem incidental to any veteran's family. I urge all to remember our promise to our veterans and support the Wellstone amendment.”