June 29, 2005

Washington, DC - Another year has passed and we are united again to celebrate Independence Day, the 4th of July!  As we spread our blankets on the grass and fire up the grill in anticipation of the cluster of lights brightening up the night later in the evening, let us not forget the reason why we are celebrating.  It's not just a day we get off from work, or a day we get off from school, but it’s a day when our forefathers spoke out against oppression and tyranny in one united voice and declared their Independence from the tight constraint of the British Crown.

 

In June of 1776, a young Thomas Jefferson was asked by the Continental Congress to prepare a document stating their separation from British rule.  That document became the Declaration of Independence, single handedly the most important document of our Nation’s history, and on July 4, 1776 the Declaration was adopted by Congress.  Our declaration of independence from Britain went on to ignite the flame of freedom in other nations throughout the world.

 

As in 1776, we find ourselves once again a Nation at war.  So as we celebrate the 4th of July and we revel at the notion of one free Nation under God, we must remember those that have fought to give us our freedom and also those who fight now to secure that freedom.  We must remember our brave men and women in the armed services that are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and may we wish for them success and a speedy return. 

 

While we remember and keep our men and women in the armed services that are currently fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan in our prayers, we must never forget the veterans of this great nation.  We must never turn our backs on the brave men and women that fought to preserve the very freedom that we celebrate here today.

 

Last week the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that they had miscalculated their budget needs for the 2005 Fiscal Year by $1 billion dollars for veteran’s healthcare.  This announcement came after the Administration repeatedly denied any notion of a problem with the VA budget.  As a result of this gross “miscalculation” some facilities around the country are no longer scheduling appointments for new veterans.  This shortfall and the VA’s unwillingness to admit it is inexcusable and undermines the quality of care for America’s veterans, including more than 86,000 Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans who have needed VA care.

 

While hundreds of our brave men and women have given their lives for their country in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands more will come home with medical needs.  I had the honor to visit with some of the men and women that have come back from the war, at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda and at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  They sacrificed when the Nation needed them, now they need us. 

 

The budget shortchanges veterans’ health care.  In this upcoming year (FY 2006), the President’s budget provides at least $3 billion less than veterans service organizations say is needed to meet the needs of our veterans, even as it provides trillions in tax cuts for the wealthy. Over five years, the budget for veterans programs, primarily health care, is $15 billion below the amount needed to maintain services at current levels.  Because of this cut, the number of medical personnel serving our veterans would drop by 3,000, mostly nurses.

 

Currently, more than 50,000 veterans are waiting in line for veterans’ health care.  That problem will only get worse with the growing numbers of returning soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan.  As of May 2005, the VA had treated more than 85,000 veterans returning from these deployments.  In 2006, the Department expects to treat 5.2 million veterans – double the number in 1995. And health care inflation is approximately 7 percent a year.  I, along with some of my colleagues, have sent a letter to President Bush requesting that he submit a FY 2005 supplemental funding request adding at least $1.3 billion to address the shortfall in veterans’ health care funding that his Administration has identified. 

 

This is not a way of welcoming home our men and women of the armed services and this is definitely not the way to thank the millions of veterans that gave so much of their lives for our country in past wars. Also, while we remember the brave men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan let us never ever forget the millions of veterans that were there when our Nation needed them, because they need us now.

 

So as we gather around with family and friends and celebrate the beautiful birth of this great Nation of ours, let us not forget those that sacrificed to make it so. 

 

May your 4th of July be a happy and a safe one.

 

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