VeteransI believe that we owe our veterans a tremendous debt of gratitude, and that improving benefits for our military would encourage more young Americans to enlist and serve their country. I strongly oppose increasing the financial burden on our veterans, and I am committed to finding the resources we need to provide our veterans with all of the benefits they are entitled to receive. The increasing number of wounded military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan is adding to the financial strain on the veterans’ health system, but thankfully advances in medical technology are keeping our seriously wounded veterans alive for longer and in far greater numbers than ever before.
As a member of the House Appropriations Committee I have been working hard to pass H.R. 6599, the Military Construction-VA Appropriations for FY2009 to ensure full funding of veterans’ benefits. The bill increases funding for VA hospitals and medical facilities to $5 billion and increases spending on construction at our bases and military installations to $11.7 billion. This legislation has the overwhelming support of my colleagues in the House, and I look forward to sending it to the President’s desk.
During my three terms in Congress, I have supported nearly every veteran’s related bill that has come up for a vote. Please take time to review the list of veterans’ bills in the 110th Congress that have passed the House with my strong support. Congress will continue debating important veterans’ issues such as disability compensation and pensions; education benefits; homelessness; life insurance; and legal representations for veterans, and I will always do my best to show my respect and appreciation to our veterans by voting to protect their interests.