[Gimpy]

You asked for it, here it is.................and this is just SOME of it!

Here's that "PROOF" you were lookin for!


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Bush Thanks Veterans,
Then Cuts Their Health Care
The Daily Mis-Lead
6-2-04

President Bush spent the Memorial Day weekend thanking the nation's veterans for their service, saying "we acknowledge the debt [we owe them] by showing our respect and gratitude."

Yet, his rhetoric came just hours after the Bush Administration announced new plans to slash veterans health care funding if it returns to power in 2005.

Late last week, the Administration released a memo detailing a plan to cut $1 billion from the Veterans Administration in the first budget of its second term. The cut would come even after the White House has tried to close veterans hospitals throughout the country, and has proposed veterans health care budgets that have been criticized by veterans groups and the President's own Veterans Affairs secretary.

It also comes after the president decided to cut off 164,000 veterans from their existing prescription drug coverage, and threatened to veto any bill that would allow veterans to receive both the military pension they were promised, and any disability compensation to which they are entitled.

Sources:
1. Presidential Weekly Radio Address Speech,
WhiteHouse.gov, 05/29/04.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea.../20040529.html

2. "Democrats rip Bush's outline for cuts in domestic
programs," Palm Beach Post, 5/28/04.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/co...aper/editions/
today/news_046b8a51b0d3412100f5.html

3. "VA Seeks Major Hospital Overhaul," CBS News,
8/05/03.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/...in566686.shtml

4. "President Bush's Veterans' Budget Called Woefully
Inadequate and Inexcusable," Senate Democratic Policy
Committee, 2/12/04.
http://democrats.senate.gov/dpc/dpc-...me=fs-108-2-39

5. "VA Cuts Some Veterans' Access to Health Care,"
Washington Post, 1/17/03.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...4064-2003Jan16

6. "Bush Threatens Veto of Defense Bill," Washington
Post, 10/7/02, p.A02.

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By Vernon Loeb

Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, October 7, 2002; Page A02

Alarmed by the cost of expanding military entitlement programs, President Bush has threatened to veto the $355 billion defense authorization bill for the new fiscal year if House and Senate conferees do not eliminate new pension benefits for disabled military retirees that could cost from $18.5 billion to $58 billion over the next decade.


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July 22, 2004

The Honorable C. W. Bill Young

Chairman

Committee on Appropriations

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Mr. Chairman:

The Administration appreciates the expeditious consideration of the thirteen FY 2005 Appropriations Bills in the House, including the FY 2005 Department of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Bill.

The Administration, however, would not support House passage of the FY 2005 VA/HUD Appropriations bill as it is currently drafted.

The President?s Budget responsibly holds the growth in total discretionary spending to less than four percent and the growth in non-security spending to less than one percent, while providing the critical resources needed for our Nation?s highest priorities, such as:

Fighting the war on terror, strengthening our homeland defenses, and sustaining the momentum of our economic recovery.

The Administration appreciates the Committee?s support for our veterans. The Administration is disappointed, however, that many of the other priorities??? outlined in the President?s FY 2005 Budget are not adequately funded in this bill, including the President?s ?Vision for Space Exploration,? the HUD portion of the Prisoner Re-entry Initiative, and AmeriCorps.

(GIVE ME A PHUCKIN BREAK, WILL YA? THESE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN MILITARY VETERANS BENEFITS????----GIMP)


If the final version of this bill that is presented to the President does not include adequate funding levels for Presidential initiatives, his Senior Advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.

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2002-2003 ANNUAL REPORT
of the
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS
LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT
by
JOSEPH A. VIOLANTE
NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR
for presentation to
THE 82ND NATIONAL CONVENTION
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
AUGUST 16-19, 2003

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Anthony Principi had made projections early in 2002 that he would need an additional $400 million during fiscal year (FY) 2002 to avoid freezing enrollment for VA medical care . Based on those projections, we had an ongoing grassroots campaign urging Congress to provide that amount in the FY 2002 supplemental appropriations bill, which had been reported by the House Appropriations Committee in May 2002.

Despite Secretary Principi?s projection, the President had asked Congress for only $142 million in supplemental appropriations for VA medical care. Congress included $417 million for veterans? medical care in the bill it cleared for the President?s signature on July 24, 2002 . However, by law the money could not be spent unless the President designated it as emergency spending. The President signed the bill into law on August 2, 2002, but he would only designate $142 million of the amount Congress provided for VA as emergency spending. Consequently, $275 million of the money was never released to VA, though VA had reached the point where it had to freeze enrollment, and veterans receiving treatment were waiting for months for medical appointments.

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For those of you living in that "paralellel universe" ....that's a back door V-E-T-O if I EVER saw one!----Gimp.......... As is this quote from the same report........"We do face more opposition from the present Administration, which appears to be dead set against concurrent receipt legislation, mandatory funding for VA medical care, and any sufficiently higher appropriations for veterans? programs. When VA?s witnesses testify on bills before the Veterans? Affairs Committees of the House and Senate, they are really messengers bearing the Administration?s position on the legislation under consideration. On almost all legislation that will require additional expenditures of money to improve or expand programs for veterans, VA now testifies in opposition, consistent with the Administration?s overarching goal of reducing, rather than expanding, Federal programs.
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You need any MORE "PROOF "..................just let me know, ok????????