January 2, 2009

Veterans Benefits

America owes its veterans a great debt for the service they have provided to keep our nation safe.  Included as part of this debt is honoring the federal government’s commitment to veterans to provide the necessary funding for veterans’ programs, especially healthcare services.  Unfortunately, our government has failed on numerous occasions to honor this commitment.  Senator Wyden has fought tirelessly in Congress to honor this commitment, voting for measures that would increase funding for veterans’ programs and make a portion of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) funding mandatory.

Senator Wyden is often frustrated that not enough is being done for our veterans. In his most recent budget, the President has once again proposed new enrollment fees and higher drug co-pays for our veterans.  This would put the financial burden of keeping the VA health care system running on veterans themselves, rather than living up to the promise made to provide health care for them in return for their service to our country.  The President tries every year to raise these fees for the men and women who sacrificed so much to defend our country, and Senator Wyden has fought hard each time to defend our veterans.

In addition, while the President increases troop levels in the war in Iraq, he also proposes drastic cuts to the VA system starting in 2010 that would leave veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan unable to access VA medical care.  It is unfathomable to Senator Wyden how we can be spending billions of dollars to send more of our men and woman overseas while cutting the medical care we promise them when they return home.

America still has a long way to go to live up to its commitment to our veterans.  Too many veterans have to wait or are simply unable to access care.  Senator Wyden will continue in his fight to provide the VA health care system with the funding it needs to give veterans the high quality health care they deserve.

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