VA Budget crisis temporarly averted!
 

Looks like all our hell raising has done some good for the time being. We'll have to wait and see for sure what happens when the budget bill goes to concurrent committee to be comprimised between the House & Senate. If Congressman Nussle keeps his "promise" we might be OK. Thanks to all that contacted the congresspersons. NOW --- PLEASE contact your Senators to MAKE SURE the pass this important legislation.

GIMP
*****************************

M E M O R A N D U M

TO: Action E-List

FROM: Joseph A. Violante, National Legislative Director

SUBJ: UPDATE ON THE BUDGET BATTLE?THE BATTLE WAS WON?THE WAR RAGES ON

DATE: March 21, 2003

On March 21, 2003, the United States House of Representatives passed its budget resolution without cuts in veterans' medical care and mandatory programs. While Republican "holdouts," Chairman Chris Smith (R-NJ), Representatives Michael Bilirakis (R-FL), Rick Renzi (R-AZ), Rob Simmons (R-CT), Walter Jones (R-NC), Charles Pickering (R-MS), extracted an 11th-hour promise from the House Leadership not to cut veterans? mandatory programs such as disability compensation, and to recede to the Senate?s higher spending levels for veterans' health care programs. Although it was too late to change the language in the House Budget Resolution, H. Con. Res. 95, the Budget Committee Chairman, Jim Nussle (R-IA), provided a written promise to match the Senate's higher spending levels when the House and Senate go to conference on the budget resolution.

While this is a major victory for veterans, we must continue to keep pressure on the Senate to ensure that they pass a budget that includes increased funding for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and eliminates proposals to increase copayments for prescriptions and outpatient visits for certain veterans and charge other veterans enrollment fees. As you know, the budget resolution passed by Congress is non-binding and only provides a blueprint for spending levels. Therefore, it is also important that we contact appropriators and ask them to provide increased levels of spending for VA medical care programs above the Administration's proposed budget.

Had it not been for the efforts of DAV members, their families, and other supporters, we would not have been able to get the agreement of the House Leadership to exempt veterans from the drastic cuts proposed in the House Budget Resolution. Thanks to your efforts, Democrats such as House Budget Committee Ranking Member John Spratt (D-SC), and Committee Member Chet Edwards (D-TX) and others were able to take our case to the floor of the House during the budget debate.

I am attaching a copy of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee News Release on the budget, and the text of the letter from Chairman Nussle to Chairman Smith promising to agree to the higher Senate provisions in conference.

Again, thank you for your extraordinary efforts in letting your elected officials know how outraged you were with the proposal to cut veterans' discretionary and mandatory programs.


JOSEPH A. VIOLANTE
National Legislative Director

__________________________________________________ _______________

NEWS RELEASE
House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Christopher H. Smith, Chairman
335 CHOB, Washington D.C. 20515

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, March 19, 2003

Vets Get Big Boost In Late-Night Budget Deal

(Washington, DC) - In the final negotiations before passage of the House Republican budget, America's veterans won significant funding increases for FY 2004.

Rep. Chris Smith, Chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee credited Budget Chairman Jim Nussle with working through the 11th hour to ensure that veterans health care programs would be increased and funding for veterans benefits, including compensation for service-connected disabled veterans, would be held harmless from any across-the-board spending reductions.

"After further discussions with Chairman Nussle and the leadership, I am pleased that we have reached agreement so that this year's budget will raise funding for veterans' health care by at least $1.8 billion over the Administration's request for FY 04," Smith said.

"Furthermore, it will allow us to fully meet our commitments to more than 2.6 million disabled veterans and widows who rely on VA benefit checks every month. There will be no cut in veterans' benefits as first proposed," Smith said.

Smith said the final agreement came in a letter from Chairman Nussle who gave his word to meet at a minimum the spending levels already adopted by the Senate Budget Committee once House and Senate budget negotiators meet in conference. The Senate budget provides a 12.9% increase over this year's funding level for veterans' health benefits?the highest spending ever in this area.

Nussle's letter read in part: "In the Conference with the Senate, I will accept a level of discretionary and mandatory spending for veterans programs as high as reported by the Senate Budget Committee."

MEDIA INQUIRIES, CONTACT: Peter Dickinson, (202) 225-3664

Peter Dickinson
Communications Director
House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
(202) 225-3664

__________________________________________________ _____________


March 20, 2003

The Honorable Chris Smith, Chairman
Veterans? Affairs Committee
United States House of Representatives

Dear Chairman Smith:

You have expressed your deep concern about the amount available for veterans discretionary spending, which includes health care, and for mandatory spending, which includes compensation for service-connected disabled veterans. In the Conference with the Senate, I will accept a level of discretionary and mandatory spending for veterans programs at least as high as reported by the Senate Budget Committee. It is my hope that we will continue to work to find any savings possible from eliminating waste or fraud as we work to balance the budget.

I look forward to continuing to working with you on behalf of veterans and a stronger America.


Sincerely,
Jim Nussle
Chairman
House Budget Committee

Puttin this "on top"
 

so everyone can see that "hell raising" does work sometime!

Thanks again Gimpster...
 

...for you "continued " presence here for Veteran's rights...

you make it easy to be involved in the voting process when you post up the much needed information...

...carry on...

pardon me but ....
 

this all seems kind of fishy to me....from the figures quoted earlier as " horrendous cuts" to suddenly a 12.9 % increase is quite a stretch. I think there was a lot of
real BS going on behind the scenes by both parties....I would like to know what the true story is. Please look at the budgets I posted from 1962 thru projected 2008, and note how few cuts there have really been in 40 years....

Larry

Pardon you???
 

What makes you think the DAV, VFW, American Legion and paralysed Veterans of America would put out the so-called BS you're attempting to discredit?

These organizations are some of thev most respected and reputable veterans service organizations ever founded to help military veterans disabled or otherwise.

The ONLY Bulls--t going on here was with the Republican leadership in the House of representatives. Especially the budget committee and Congressman Nussle. Thak God for Republican Congressman Biilarakus and the other few republican Congressmen that "crossed over" party lines with the Democrats to demand this outrageous horsehockey be stopped!

C'mon "dude"---can't you admit when it those "compassionate conservatives" are obviously tryin to screw the veterans? It's all right there for EVERYONE to see! The service organizations ARE NOT lieing about this!

Sticking to your guns sometimes PAYS OFF!! Let me just say from a personal point of knowing because I was a part of the action!
Last year the N.C. Legislature was about to cut 2.3 million from the state veterans benefits to help balance the state budget.
The American Legion, DAV, VFW, Metrolina Vietnam Veterans, Amvets, Vietnam Veterans of America and others on a 3 day notice of this action fell upon the capital of NC and protested. We were granted entrance to the Legislative ofices and had the opportunity to speak with our State Senators of which many were unaware that veterans cuts was even in the proposed legislation about to be voted on.
We WON that battle and had the money restored to the veterans issues and not taken. April 8th, 2003 we'll have to do it again but already are amassing veterans state wide to again go to Raleigh and press the State Senators on the issue.

So, things can/do work if people quit sitting on their arse bitching and moaning and get involved to help get something done. Its like everything in life ...you have those that fight for not only their rights and earned benfits...then you have the sorry asses that want to sit back complain, bitch, and raise hell but want the gravy too...welll; sometimes you simply can't have both the cake and eat..you have to work for it, earn it!!

Sorry to get HOT here but it pisses me to no end esp for vets to sit back and bitch and put down the efforts of others to salvage our benefits and not stopping to think that by us doing so we're out to save your sorry butts benefits too! In short: BITCH LESS
DO MORE!!!!!

Doc

___________________

Freedom is not cheap and anything worth having is worth fighting for!

You're absolutely right deltamedic!
 

BITCH LESS---DO MORE! All of us---veterans and their families MUST take an ACTIVE roll in preserving the gains we've made and seeing that everything is done to insure that we don't LOSE any of these "earned" benefits we've achieved.

Thanks for your efforts.

Gimpy et al...
 

Believe you have misread what I was trying to say. I belong to two national Vet organizations. The cuts that were quoted were wrong. I "bitched" and "raised hell". The battle was won. All I am saying, is try to look at all of this with a "non-partisan" eye. Real hard isn't it ? I say there are a lot of things that don't quite add up. That's all. If it is wrong, it is wrong. I don't trust any of these folks be they of either stripe....


Larry

Naw it ain't hard!
 

To "look at it through non-partisan eyes", it's IMPOSSIBLE! Especially IF you take a LONG HARD LOOK at HOW the majority of the two "parties" cast their votes. Seems awfully funny to me that when some Democrats are accused of "party politics" and then labeled "ultra-liberals" or "Leftist" that's OK. But, when the "shoe" is on the OTHER foot (Republicans) and they vote like THEY did this past few week in committee AND in the FULL house---they're STILL considered the "Patriotic, flag-waving, saviors of the Republic"--well, they showed their TRUE COLORS this week. And, it was DAMN SURE PARTISAN AGAINST US VETERANS!

Puttng this back up.
 

So all can see that HELL-RAISING can help at times.

Thanjs again to all that contacted their Congresspersons.
Now, contact your Senators!!!!