Washington, D.C. -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi today issued the
following statement on the one-year anniversary this week of articles in the
Washington Post on the shocking conditions experienced by wounded soldiers
returning from Iraq and Afghanistan at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in
Washington:
“One year after the Walter Reed scandal, America’s
returning heroes are receiving better and more efficient care, but many are
still waiting too long and facing too many bureaucratic roadblocks as they try
to recover from the wounds of war. The
Democratic-led Congress has invested in higher quality care, passed the
landmark Wounded Warriors Act, and helped establish a new level of
accountability by reasserting Congressional oversight.
“The New Direction Congress made the needs of America’s
veterans a top priority by providing the largest investment in veterans’ health
care in the 77-year history of the VA.
“When America
calls on our men and women in uniform to serve their nation, our soldiers,
sailors, marines, airmen, and coast guardsmen do not delay. America must not allow a moment’s
delay in the delivery of the health care and benefits our brave veterans have
earned. We will build on the progress we
have made for our wounded troops and veterans to ensure that they receive
access to the timely, quality care that they were promised and that they
deserve.”
