Honoring the sacrifices and contributions made by disabled American veterans.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

As the ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I have an obligation to help ensure that veterans and their families have access to the benefits and services they so richly deserve. More importantly, I have been an advocate for military members and veterans almost my entire life. I have been in uniform for 28 years while I served the last 16 years in Congress. It is a great part of who I am.

We have before us this House resolution to create a disabled veterans week. Now we should pause for a moment and say why is Congress bringing this bill to the floor at this time? You see, I view this bill on the floor at this time as an inoculation. It is an inoculation because the Democrats who control this Congress want to bring a bill to the floor where it will cut a monthly pension to wartime elderly disabled and indigent veterans in the amount of a billion dollars. So before the Democrats take a billion dollars away from disabled veterans, they want to stand and say I put my arms around disabled veterans, and we are going to create a week for America to celebrate them.

I am going to blow the whistle on you. I believe that it is a matter of principle that the Nation should not be taking money from one group of deserving veterans to fund benefits for others. However, you should also know that last month the Senate approved a bill that would cut $912 million in pension benefits for wartime elderly indigent severely disabled or housebound American veterans. A portion of the funding saved by this unprecedented cut in veterans' benefits would be used to fund oversized pensions for noncitizen, non-resident World War II Filipino veterans and for other veterans' programs.

Mr. Speaker, I believe the country is probably shocked hearing me say something like this. But, Mr. Speaker, we are here on the floor to ask for a designation that the country support the ideals for which men and women fought for and are now disabled, while in the same stroke this very Congress wants to cut veterans' benefits from those very same people when they are asking the country to celebrate their ideals.

The bill that was in the Senate is Senate 1315. There was a bill here in the House, H.R. 760. That bill was voted out of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee on a party-line vote. That hardly ever happens. A party-line vote hardly ever happens in the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

They voted to eliminate a special monthly pension for severely disabled veterans over 65 who are receiving pensions for wartime services. The special monthly pension provides an additional payment of up to $2,200 per year to the most severely disabled veterans. In 2006, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims overturned the Department of Veterans Affairs decision that denied the special monthly pension to an 86-year-old legally blind World War II veteran, Robert A. Hartness, who was also receiving a VA pension granted to low-income, disabled veterans.

The court reversed the VA's denial of benefits to Mr. Hartness and required them to begin paying this special monthly pension. The court held that the United States law requires an award of a special monthly pension to a veteran eligible for VA nonservice-connected disability pension if, in addition to being at least 65 years old, the veteran has a disability rating of at least 60 percent or is permanently housebound.

The Senate bill, S. 1315, would override the court decision legislatively, and it is also what H.R. 760 sought to do. According to the VA, more than 20,200 veterans could be affected by this unprecedented cut in veterans' benefits.

This cut in veterans' benefits that goes to the disabled is opposed by the American Legion, AMVETS, the National Association of Uniformed Services, and other veterans' service organizations. The following excerpt is from an April 25, 2008, letter to all Members of Congress from the American Legion: ``The American Legion believes the sacrifice of these heroes warrants relief. Balancing the books on the backs of the very patriots that protected and defended this Nation is unconscionable. Don't make a grave mistake in the name of fairness, equality, or even fiscal responsibility. Do what is right.''

I wholeheartedly agree. Congress has an obligation to protect those veterans who are the most vulnerable. They have no voice; and, indeed, many of them are so severely disabled they are housebound and require aid and attendants. I personally find appalling the notion of taking benefits from these disabled veterans to create a new benefit for other veterans, especially those of a foreign nation.

There are better ways to fund new entitlements than to cut benefits from aging veterans who need us most, violating the principle of honor that defined their service and our obligation to both them and the Nation they served.

I believe that our veterans are our country's most precious asset. I also believe that those are the ideals for which you seek to recognize in the bill that is before us. I would remind every Member who votes in support of this bill, please recognize that when you come to the floor and there is presented to you a Senate amended bill that would repeal the special monthly pension for the Nation's most vulnerable veterans, those of whom are wartime elderly, indigent, disabled and homebound, that you remember the vote you cast this day. Because if you embrace to defend these disabled veterans who sacrificed for the ideals and the heritage of this country, do not cut their veterans' benefits.

It was done in committee. It was done in the Senate. We have to defend the most vulnerable and those who do not have a voice.

I support what is in front of us, but I do not support the rationale of inoculation before you bring a bill to this floor that will cut a billion dollars from these wartime elderly, disabled indigent veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 336, a measure to honor the sacrifices and contributions made by America's disabled veterans. Throughout our Nation's history, the men and women of our Armed Forces have gone bravely into battle, risking their lives and livelihoods, sacrificing their safety to defend our freedom.

When their duty is done, many return home to life as it was.

Sadly, for veterans seriously injured in the line of duty, leaving the battlefield does not mark the end of conflict. These permanently disabled soldiers often carry home life-changing disabilities, harsh reminders of the price of freedom.

By supporting H. Con. Res. 336, we will recognize the great sacrifices made by disabled veterans and their families. We will call upon the people of the United States to honor disabled American veterans and the freedoms for which they sacrificed. We will encourage local, State and national organizations and governmental institutions to participate in the effort to honor the sacrifices of America's disabled veterans, and we will support the goals and ideals of Disabled American Veterans Week.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

I yield 3 minutes to the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman).

I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer), the ranking member of the committee.

Mr. Speaker, for thousands of our Nation's soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, the sacrifices of war far outlast the war itself. There are more than 2 million veterans with service-connected injuries or illnesses, including thousands who have returned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thanks to advances in medical science, the vast majority of American servicemembers wounded in combat survive traumatic events that would have proven deadly in previous wars.

Previous generations of veterans have come home wounded from battlefields in Europe, the Korean peninsula, and the jungles of Vietnam. They have returned to America with permanent damage to limb or spirit.

Today's veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom are suffering tragic injuries from

IED attacks and other hazards that are filling our military hospitals with victims who have lost limbs, with severe burns, and with head injuries.

We owe a debt of gratitude to all of these veterans whose physical or psychological well-being was permanently damaged in service to their country.

In my own district, disabled veterans have also had to endure the closing of the Southeast Louisiana VA Hospital due to damage from Hurricane Katrina. As a result, approximately 212,000 veterans in a 23- parish area in southeast Louisiana have to travel up to 4 hours to go to other VA hospitals just to receive basic care. And as we all know, gas prices are now topping $4 a gallon, which further adds to the cost our disabled veterans are facing when they travel to and from VA facilities for their health care.

I want to express as well how gravely concerned I am at the high cost of fuel and how it is affecting their ability to stretch their limited pension and compensation dollars. I call on the Democratic leadership in Congress to step forward and join us to help these disabled veterans by addressing this problem and enacting a strong national energy policy that increases supply to lower gas prices.

I want to thank my colleagues in the House for passing the VA Medical Facility Authorization and Lease Act authorizing $625 million for Southeast Louisiana VA Hospital that was closed down due to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. And I want to specifically recognize the leadership of Chairman Bob Filner and Ranking Member Steve Buyer in passing this critical legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our disabled veterans for their sacrifice and contributions to the cause of freedom. The intent of this bill is to express America's eternal gratitude to these courageous heroes, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it. America's disabled veterans have honored us with their service and selfless duty. We should honor them by passing this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Con. Res. 336) honoring the sacrifices and contributions made by disabled American veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

With House Concurrent Resolution 336, we honor the sacrifices and contributions made of our disabled veterans. The current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have added well over 30,000 of our sons and daughters to the roles of veterans disabled in defense of our Nation, with the number continuing to grow.

Collectively, there are approximately 2.8 million veterans receiving compensation for disability incurred in the line of duty. This resolution calls for the establishment of a single week dedicated annually to each and every one of our Nation's disabled veterans.

What better time would there be for groups large and small, national and local, private and public, to come together and remember in their own way the sacrifices of the Nation's heroes? Those great Americans gave the most for the least. They have earned our lasting remembrance and much more.

It is far too easy for many to forget the true costs of war, to forget the deaths of our servicemen and to ignore the wounds of those who return. It is too easy for too many of us to think that the cost of war ends when the last soldier returns.

Our disabled veterans continue to serve our country in so many ways, bearing their wounds as a reminder to all that freedom and liberty are not free. The men and women who return wounded and disabled from combat, and service to our Nation, remind us of the terrible price we pay, not only in costs measured in dollars, but the costs measured in lives lost and changed.

It is therefore right and proper that we remember the service and sacrifice of our disabled veterans and pay tribute and honor to them during this week of Disabled American Veterans Week.

When called, they answered. When needed, they served. All Americans owe them a debt of gratitude and a heartfelt remembrance for their sacrifice and service. I am reminded of the words of the first President of the United States, George Washington, whose words are worth repeating at this time. ``The willingness with which our people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportioned as to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their country.''

It is part of my service and duties to visit the veterans' hospitals and clinics

in the areas I travel to. I recently visited the medical center in Puerto Rico, dedicated a new clinic in Orange City, Florida, and, before that, the Medical Center in New Orleans.

We have been funding the VA and veterans health care at record levels, giving the VA the largest increase in funding in the history of the United States. It is our duty to oversee the VA to make sure that they are spending the money properly in the best interests of our brave men and women who defend the rights and freedom of our great Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch).

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

I want to be clear, Mr. Speaker and Members of the House, House Concurrent Resolution 336 honors the sacrifices of the disabled veterans, and I urge all Members to support it.

I am very proud of the fact that we have just passed the largest VA budget in the history of the United States of America. Now a lot of times people talk the talk, but we as Members of this body need to walk the walk for the veterans. And when I said that I have visited the facilities in Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, I have also visited the facilities in Louisiana, and I made sure that we put the money into the budget so we could rebuild that facility for veterans in that area.

I urge my colleagues to unanimously support H. Con. Res. 336.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 336.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of H. Con. Res. 336, a commonsense resolution that expresses support for one of the greatest segments of the American population, the disabled American veteran.

Back home in Florida, I represent nearly 110,000 veterans, the second highest number of any Member of Congress. As you might guess, many of these brave men and women are disabled, either injured in battle or in the course of their service in the United States military.

Disabled veterans are cared for by military professionals at the VA. They also band together in veterans organizations like the Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, or Blinded Veterans Association.

However, there was no Federal recognition in place for Americans specifically to remember the deeds and heroism of disabled veterans.

The concurrent resolution before us today calls for the establishment of a Disabled American Veterans Week and shows all disabled veterans that Congress does not forget their bravery and actions in service to our great Nation.

You know, every weekend I returned home to Florida to meet with my constituents and hear their needs and concerns and what I can do to serve the men and women who live in the Fifth Congressional District.

I often hear words of thanks for voting in support of drilling in ANWR and in the Outer Continental Shelf, or get asked what Congress is going to do to stop the outrageous increase in the cost of gasoline that we have seen since our colleagues across the aisle took over the House and Senate.

However, the most poignant and heart-wrenching stories I hear are oftentimes from veterans. As you might expect, I attend dozens of veterans events throughout the eight counties in my district. It is, indeed, at these events that I hear stories of courageous deeds, heroic actions and lives forever changed by the ravages of war.

Disabled veterans have given so much to this Nation with their blood, sweat and tears, lying on the battlefields from Germany, to Korea, to Vietnam, to Iraq and Afghanistan.

This resolution calling for a Disabled American Veterans Week shows the thousands of men and women who served with honor and distinction that Congress will see that their memories and deeds are never forgotten.

I thank my colleague, Mr. Altmire, for introducing this resolution. I would hope that all Members of this body can support such a worthy passage for disabled veterans.

Firstly, I would like to thank Representative Brown for graciously yielding me time for speaking on this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 336 a resolution which honors the sacrifice and contributions made by America's disabled veterans. The brave men and women currently serving in our Armed Forces, and the veterans who have put on the uniform before them, deserve our utmost appreciation for their continued commitment to the protection of this Nation.

Regrettably, millions of these veterans have been wounded and disabled while defending the rights and freedoms that uniquely define our country. According to the latest statistics provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, there are approximately 2.9 million disabled veterans now receiving services from the VA. Of the 2.9 million disabled veterans, a total of 30,000 have served in either Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

The great sacrifice that these men and women have made on behalf of the American people cannot go unnoticed. American veterans have earned our undying gratitude and our continued support. During last year's appropriation process, we began to head in the right direction, in my opinion, when Congress allocated $87.59 billion to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an $8 billion increase from the previous year.

Of this total, $37.2 billion was provided the Veterans Health Administration, with $3.6 billion allocated to post-traumatic stress disorder funding, and $189.25 million for traumatic brain injury funding, and $500 million for medical and prosthetic research. Our commitment to America's disabled veterans is exemplified by honoring these men and women in the present and continuing to invest in their future.

I thank Mr. Altmire for introducing this thoughtful resolution and urge my colleagues to join me in supporting House Concurrent Resolution 336.