200 House Democrats fire off letter to Dubba on Funding for Veterans

[Monkeyman]

http://democraticleader.house.gov

Part of the letter for rest press link

As your administration continues to formulate its FY 2008 Budget submission,we write to request that you provide the necessary funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system and related benefits programs. Unfortunately, we believe it is necessary to express our serious concern in the matter due to your administration's record of under-funding the VA by at least $9 Billion over the last 6 years.We are particulary concerned about veterans funding next year and in the future as your budget submission this year reduced veterans funding by $10 billion over the next five years.

Providing for our military veterans and thier families is a continuing cost of war and should be an important component of our national defence policy. Indeed, President George Washington recognized this pint,saying,"the willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how jstified , shall be directly proportional to they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by theit nation." Mr. President, the time is right for your administration to change course and fully fund the VA, cease efforts to shift the cost of health care onto the backs of veterans, and finally recognize and implement the concept of ; shared sacrifice; with respect to the federal budget.

[Deja Q]

1. But Bush believes in ownership and individuality.

Which is ironic since Republicans seem to band together so well... :crazy:

[Change has come]

2. Shared sacrifice is right

Every member of the House should have signed this (with out the election year rhetoric).


"Each year your VA budget fails to request what is needed and relies on accounting gimmicks such as “management efficiencies” and inaccurate health care projections. Such efforts are transparent as the true consequences of your administration’s budget flaws are being realized by current and future veterans. Indeed, recently VA officials themselves acknowledged that greater funding was needed to care for our service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from mental health disorders and traumatic brain injuries."

[babylonsister]

3. K&R! nt