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| Wilson: Needs of 2 Million Women Veterans Should Not Be Ignored |
May 16, 2007 |
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Wilson Non-Controversial Amendment Rejected by Democrats
On the floor of the United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Heather Wilson, the only woman veteran serving in Congress, today said the House should not ignore the needs of two million women veterans.
Speaking on the House floor, Wilson questioned why House Democrats in the Rules Committee did not allow her non-controversial amendment that would create a bipartisan commission to make recommendations to Congress about the needs of women veterans.
Fighting for our Women Veterans 
The Rules Committee allowed an amendment for a study on a plan for Niagara Air Reserve Base in the district of the Committee Chair, Mrs. Slaughter. In contrast, Wilson`s non-controversial effort to help the nation`s two million women veterans was not allowed to be considered.
"It`s a sad day when Mrs. Slaughter can find time on the floor for special interests in her district, but has no time to improve healthcare for 2 million women veterans," Wilson said. "That`s either pure partisan politics or misplaced priorities."
One in seven Americans deployed to Iraq is a woman.
Wilson`s proposed amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act would have looked at the needs of women in the Armed Forces who, in growing numbers, are making a transition from the DOD Health Care System to the VA Health Care System. The proposal would gather a bipartisan group of people, including the input of women veterans, to study the issue and make proposals for systemic changes to help these returning veterans.
“Women face different obstacles than men when trying to receive care from the VA and DOD. To start with, many women who have served in the military don`t call themselves `veterans` and many women don`t think of the VA as `their` system,” Wilson said. “A larger number of women are serving in military and in the future we will see a higher number of women veterans.”
“My goal in proposing this amendment is to bring together a group of people who can truly devote the time and effort to study the needs and examine the challenges women in the Armed Service face. They then can report to Congress their finding and recommendations so that we, as a body, can evaluate these findings and implement improvements and initiatives to ensure women receive the care they have earned.”
“The increasing number of women serving in the military, including in combat zones, will change and challenge the VA and DOD health care systems in ways we don`t yet fully understand.”
The Wilson amendment:
1)Would establish a 12-member bipartisan commission on Wounded Women Warriors to study the needs of women in the Armed Forces transitioning from the DOD Health Care System to the VA Health Care System and report back to Congress their findings and recommendations.
2)The Commission on Wounded Women Warriors would consist of the following members:
o Two members appointed jointly by the Secretary of Defense and the VA Secretary
o Two members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives
o Two members appointed by the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives
o Two members appointed by the Majority Leader of the Senate
o Two Members appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives
o Two Members appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate
o Of the members selected to the commission by the leaders, one must be a female veteran or a female participating the Department of Defense health care system.
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