Date: 1998-07-17
Speaker: LINDA SMITH (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Washington

Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman. when I came to the floor today. I had originally intended to introduce an amendment to this bill. but it is becoming very clear that there is great opposition from the leadership of Congress. And it was ruled out of order in the Committee on Rules because leadership did not want this debate. I do not think it is a debate. however. that we should shirk from. What the debate is about is just a few weeks ago. and then confirmed in the last week. we decided that we would take a big cut in veterans health care because there was a big transportation budget .coming down the tracks that needed more money. So on the end of the transportation bill. and then confirmed again at the end of the IRS bill. in the last few days. few hours. we said if a veteran ever started smoking while they were in the military. we would break our commitment to them to give them health care later in life. in their later years. For far too long veterans have been given table scraps in Congress while we pass pork barrel bills of things not nearly as important. not nearly as honorable as funding veterans health care or the benefits we promised. I think some Members need to think. as they look at this bill today before final passage. about what we told veterans when we went home on the Fourth of July. Many members were approached by a veteran at one of the celebrations of our freedom or one of the memorials of those lost in war or those wounded in war that we all went to. and at those we would have a veteran approach us and say. "It was so terrible to read that veterans had a big health care cut. What will you do about it?" And without exception. or very few I am sure. the Member of Congress would say. "Well. it was a part of a bigger bill. The bigger bill was so important that we just had to vote for this veterans health care cut. But when we go back. if we get a chance. we will fix this. Because it is really not very fair. is it?" And we would apologize and then come back to Congress and. at the end of another bill. the IRS reform bill. right at the last minute. they found out the veterans cuts were not done right in the transportation bill. See. when we do things at the last minute. in a kind of way that is not aboveboard. that cannot be debated. we hang it on another bill. Sometimes it does not get done very clean. And so what happens is the language was so messy. and. by the way. the President proposed the original language. so this is a bipartisan problem. that they had to bring it back up and put it on the IRS reform bill. It is called a mustpass bill. And we are told we are going to get in deep trouble if we do not vote for the IRS reform bill. So guess what? We will put it on this bill. Nothing related to veterans health care. but they did have to reconfirm the writing and the drafting. So they put it on a mustpass bill. Today. we have a third chance to keep our word. This is the veterans bill. It is not just any other bill that we are hanging something on. This bill can say. we made a mistake. and I am going to keep my word. If we vote for this bill. we are confirming the cut. $15 billion over 5 years. Now. the health care portion of the V.A. budget is $17 billion a year for veterans. If we take this much money out. it is a real reduction. or. if it is not a reduction. where are we going to get the money? Are we going to take it out of housing? Are we going to go to veterans outreach? Where will it come from? Where will it come from? One thing we know is the veterans population is increasing. And those about my age are the Vietnam vets. And guess what? They are getting to where things hurt. And the things we could have worked through in our 20s and 30s we cannot now necessarily do that. So they are needing to come forward and saying to us. "I need you to keep your commitment to me. the one that you made when I served the country. the one that you made when I went back in and the recruiter said give us 2 more years. If you just come 2 more years. you will get health care." And what are we saying to them? We are saying to them. no. we are not going to honor that commitment ever. When veterans got their S.P.s in Vietnam. they got cigarettes. In the Second World War and Korea. when they were issued their provisions. they were given cigarettes. They were encouraged to smoke to release the tension. But if they did that. we are going to tell them now that we are going to break our word to them. What I tell my colleagues is that this is the time you can keep our word to veterans. Every major veterans group in the Nation came forward. from the littlest group to the Vietnam veterans. The Vietnam veterans are even calling our offices saying do not vote for this bill. If we are going to do the honorable thing. this Is the only train this year that we can correct and put back on track. Do not vote for this bill.