Mr. PATRICK J. MURPHY of Pennsylvania.
Madam Speaker, 4 years ago I served in Baghdad, Iraq, with the 82nd
Airborne Division, and I am proud of my service.
In 2006, the election was about
change: change in Iraq, change here at home, change how we treat our
veterans. Well, these are the problems that we addressed in this Congress:
One, the Walter Reed tragedy.
Our answer? We passed the Wounded Warrior Act.
Two, underfunding of veterans
in past Congresses. Our answer? We passed the largest increase in Veterans
Administration history.
Three, the two signature injuries
in Iraq and Afghanistan are PTSD, posttraumatic stress disorder and
TBI, traumatic brain injury. Our solution in Congress, $600 million
more than the President asked for to address these two injuries.
Later today, this House will
take up our bill with Congressman Walter Jones to give our troops
a 3.5 percent pay increase. Don't listen to the rhetoric. The President
says that increase is unnecessary. I think it is exactly what this Congress
should be addressing. |