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Cornyn: Politics & Pork Have No Place in Funding For Troops & Veterans
Care for America’s veterans must remain top priority, Cornyn says
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Armed Services and Budget Committees, on Tuesday urged his colleagues to set aside their own political interests and do what’s right for our troops and veterans. Sen. Cornyn’s call comes following reports that Democratic leaders are considering combining veterans and troops funding with unrelated appropriations bills that contain billions of dollars in excess federal spending. Last Friday marked the first time in 20 years that Congress has failed to send a single appropriations bill to the President this late in the year.
“Passing appropriations bill is the fundamental responsibility of Congress each year. Yet, instead of working with the President to fund our priorities in a fiscally responsible manner, some of my colleagues see a political opportunity to play a national game of chicken. They want to play politics with health care, housing and other critical benefits for our troops and veterans, all in the name of ramming through billions of dollars for special interest projects and pork-barrel spending,” Sen. Cornyn said. “It’s outrageous that funding for Texas military installations would be held hostage so some in the Senate can fund more pet projects like the Woodstock Museum in New York. This is a cynical, irresponsible political strategy and America’s service members and veterans deserve better.”
“With Veterans Day upcoming, the Senate should honor our military men and women by passing the Military Construction/Veterans Affairs and Defense appropriations bills and sending them to the President as clean bills without billions in unrelated spending. Partisan politics has no place in providing for America’s veterans and troops,” Sen. Cornyn said.
On a related note, Sen. Cornyn said he hopes Dr. James Peake, the President’s nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, if confirmed, will make great strides in cutting bureaucratic red tape that slows delivery of health care and other benefits veterans desperately need.
“Congress has a solemn obligation to ensure our veterans, especially the newest generation of veterans from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, receive the medical care and benefits that they deserve. I urge the new VA Secretary to make real strides in streamlining the bureaucracy and cutting the red tape that still stands in the way of too many of our veterans. If confirmed, I will work closely with Dr. Peake to ensure Texas’ veterans receive the care they demand and deserve.”
President Bush nominated Lieutenant General James B. Peake (Ret.), M.D., on Tuesday to serve as the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee.
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