U.S. REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS WELCOMES COMMITMENT TO VETERANS AND NATIONAL DEFENSE IN HOUSE BUDGET RESOLUTION

Southeastern Arizona lawmaker says spending plan will help the American economy by cutting the deficit and investing in education, health care and energy independence

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today voted for a federal budget that would fully fund the Veterans Administration and demonstrate a strong commitment to national defense and fiscal responsibility.

“This budget is a statement of our values,” said Giffords. “It demonstrates a long overdue commitment to our service members – past, present and future.”

House Concurrent Resolution 85 passed the House of Representatives this afternoon in a 233 to 196 vote. It would provide $53.3 billion for veterans’ health care, a $5.5 billion increase over 2009. Included in the veterans’ funding are more resources to treat and research post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.

The resolution also would provide $556 billion for national defense and an additional $130 billion for ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“There can be no greater priority than the defense of our nation,” said Giffords, a member of the House Armed Services committee whose 8th Congressional District is home to Fort Huachuca and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. “This budget reflects that. It reflects the priorities of the people I represent by making sure our men and women in uniform have the training and equipment they need to do their jobs and meet the global challenges ahead.”

Veterans and veterans’ groups from across the nation support the budget resolution. Among them is retired Gen. John Wickham, a decorated Vietnam veteran who served as Army Chief of Staff under President Reagan.

“I applaud Congresswoman Giffords’ decision to support the 2010 budget resolution because of the important increases in funding it makes to the Department of Veterans Affairs and because it provides the resources necessary to combat terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Wickham, who now lives in Tucson.

Giffords, who also serves on the Foreign Affairs and Science and Technology committees, said she welcomed a federal spending plan that does not rely on budget gimmicks, like the emergency spending bills the Bush Administration used to hide the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Congress needs to be completely open and transparent when planning how the federal government spends our hard-earned money,” Giffords said. “This budget puts an end to the bookkeeping games that we’ve lived with for the last eight years. It is an honest accounting of our nation’s finances.”

Giffords described the budget resolution as a roadmap to economic recovery and a fiscally responsible future. She supported, she said, because it begins to close the gap between spending and revenues by cutting the deficit in half by 2013 and makes strategic investments in education, health care and energy independence.

“This budget begins the hard process of addressing the fiscal mess we inherited from the previous administration,” Giffords said. “It reverses eight years of failed policies that resulted in millions of job losses, steady declines in home prices and a projected annual deficit of more than $1 trillion.”

Giffords said she was particularly pleased with the budget’s strong commitment to early childhood education, Pell Grants and improved school breakfast and lunch programs. “Properly funding education is critical in these difficult economic times, as school districts throughout Arizona are facing the prospect of teacher lay-offs and severe cuts in programs,” she said. “Remaining globally competitive means making sure our children get the education they need.”

Educators like John Wright, president of the Arizona Education Association, say Giffords’ support of the resolution is the right thing to do.

“We are facing the worst economic crisis in our country since the Great Depression,” Wright said. “I commend Congresswoman Giffords for her support of a budget that makes an essential investment in quality public education. This will result in the greatest return on taxpayer money and will strengthen the nation’s economy.”

Other provisions of House Concurrent Resolution 85 include:

• Supporting health care reform that will lower costs, improve quality and expand coverage to help the 46 million American who now lack health insurance;
• Investing in energy independence by increasing investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency by 18 percent;
• Improving fiscal discipline by requiring all legislation to be paid for – known as PAYGO; and
• Expanding oversight of government benefit programs and aggressively pursuing fraud.