DAV Action Alert---VA Funding Crisis!

[Gimpy]

I know this thread probably doesn't belong on this part of the forum, but I figured that there's a lot of folks on this one who may seldom check the other threads.

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DAV Action Alert---VA Funding Crisis!
DAV Action Alert
Got this in my E-mail this morning!

Time to start e-mailing, writing and/or calling your Senators & Congresspersons!

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Action Alert

House Appropriations Committee Bill Inadequate to Cover VA Health Care Costs
Please Write to Your Representative Today!







According to the House Appropriations Committee, the FY 2004 VA-HUD appropriations bill provides for a "$1.4 billion increase over last year and approximately the President's request." This increase is wholly inadequate to provide health care to sick and disabled veterans, and represents a flagrant disregard to promises made to veterans by this Congress to increase health care appropriations by $1.8 billion above the President?s request. Therefore, we ask you to call on your Representative to return the VA-HUD bill to the Appropriations committee for further consideration.

The Joint Explanatory Statement on the FY 2004 budget resolution states that the ?Conference Agreement provides for discretionary BA [budget authority] of $29.96 billion for fiscal year 2004, an increase of $3.4 billion, or 12.9 percent ? nearly all of which is expected to be for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical programs.? According to VA, as of June 13, there were 134,287 veterans on waiting lists nationally. Over 51,000 veterans are waiting at least six months for their appointment, and nearly 83,000 are waiting for their first clinic appointment to be scheduled. This is certainly the wrong signal to send to America?s 25 million veterans. It is also a very sad message to send to the millions of American men and women serving on the front lines in Afghanistan, Iraq, in this country, and around the world, to say this Congress has little care or respect for their present and future needs.

The Independent Budget recommended a $3.3 billion increase for medical care. As the budget process has moved forward this year, not without considerable contention over VA funding, there has been a general acknowledgement that veterans? health care must receive an increase of this magnitude in appropriated dollars in order to meet its responsibilities. Providing a wholly inadequate $1.4 billion increase calls into question all of the press releases we have read, and news conferences we have attended touting this Congress? level of commitment to the men and women who have served this Nation.

As always, thank you for your support.


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This SECOND URGENT message came this afternoon!

Action Alert

House Rule Needed to Prevent Potentially Disastrous Medical Care Appropriations Bill
Please Write to Your Member of the Rules Committee Today!







On July 21, 2003, the House Appropriations Committee marked up an appropriations bill for the Department of Veterans Affairs and other Federal agencies for fiscal year 2004, which begins on October 1, 2003. In the bill, the Committee provided funding for veterans? medical care in an amount that is $2.2 billion below the amount earlier agreed upon by both the House and the Senate in the budget resolution. This lower funding will be disastrous for the VA medical care system, which is already severely strained due to inadequate funding in the current and past years.

A House member can offer an amendment to increase the amount for veterans? medical care only if the rule that sets the terms of debate of the bill on the House floor permits such an amendment. If permitted by the rule, Congressman Chet Edwards (D. Tex.) will offer an amendment to add $2.2 billion to the veterans? medical care appropriation. We therefore need to press members of the Rules Committee to adopt such a rule. Use the prepared e-mail to write your member of the House Rules Committee today.

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Below is the copy of my letter to my Congressman.
You can get a copy of this prepared letter and have it fowarded to YOUR Congressman by visiting the DAV web site.

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VA Funding Crisis

Representative Michael Bilirakis

Dear Congressman Bilirakis,

I write to you as a member of the House Committee on Rules regarding a
matter of great importance to veterans. The bill making appropriations
for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other agencies, marked
up
by the Appropriations Committee on July 21, 2003, would provide $2.2
billion less for veterans? medical care in fiscal year 2004 than the
amount set by the concurrent budget resolution. Because of a serious
mismatch between funding and demand, the VA medical care system is
already
in a state of crisis in which sick and disabled veterans must sometimes
wait for months to be seen in a VA clinic, with other veterans being
turned away from VA?s doors altogether. Inadequate funding again in FY
2004 will be disastrous for veterans and the VA system.

There is strong support in the House for an amendment to restore this
$2.2
billion to the appropriation for veterans? medical care. It is our
understanding that Congressman Chet Edwards will offer an amendment for
this purpose, provided the rule for this bill permits such an
amendment.
On behalf of this Nation?s veterans, I therefore write to strongly urge
your Committee to report a rule that will permit Congressman Edwards?
amendment to add $2.2 billion to the appropriation for veterans?
medical
care.

Thank you for your consideration. Please let me know whether I can
count
on your support on this matter.

Sincerely,


Steve Johnson
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Alright guys and gals---let's get off our collective & INDIVIDUAL asses and start writing!!!!!!!!!!!!




__________________

[Gimpy]

of HELL is WRONG with all you folks?

Can't y'all see what this means??

You think it's bad NOW at VA hospitals and clinics?

You think it takes a LONG time NOW to get a disability claim processed through the VA?

You think there's not enough nurses & doctors to handle the workload at these facilities NOW??

If this S-H-I-T passes the House & Senate as it's written you ain't SEEN NUTHIN YET my friends!

FOR GOD'S SAKE GET OFF YOUR BUTTS and E-mail or CALL you Congressman or woman TODAY!

Cause it's coming up for a vote as early as TOMORROW, FRIDAY, July 25!

I JUST got ANOTHER e-mail from the DAV this afternoon (below).

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Action Alert

VA Health Care Funding At Risk
Please Contact Your Member of Congress TODAY!







According to the House Appropriations Committee, the FY 2004 VA-HUD appropriations bill provides for a $1.4 billion increase over last year. This increase is wholly inadequate to provide health care to sick and disabled veterans, and represents a flagrant disregard to promises made to veterans by the House Leadership and this Congress to increase health care appropriations by about $2 billion above the President?s request.

Please use the prepared e-mail to write to your member of Congress and urge him or her to vote against this appropriations bill unless the promised increase is included. The vote on this crucial matter is expected as early as Friday, July 25, 2003. Therefore, it is crucial that you contact your Representative today either by e-mail or the phone.

As always, thank you for your continued support.

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PLEASE------E-MAIL or CALL your representative NOW!!!! :cd: :cd:

[blues clues]

already done it.
razz

[sfc_darrel]

Will you please stop yelling?

Darrel is retired and disabled and 4 family members are currently working on their own military careers so we know how important it is.

We do what we do every time a military issue comes before congress.

I appreciate the heads up on the timing.
Joy

[Gimpy]

But I'll stop YELLING when we can get more folks involved in "we do what we do", ya know? Anyway, thanks again for your efforts.

[Gimpy]

Thanks again to you Razz---I know we can always depend on you my friend!

[MORTARDUDE]

Gimpy :

I get the same emails from DAV that you do. I always send the necessary emails to my elected represenatives about the legislation in question. Thanks for all your efforts on the patriotfiles.com !!!!

Larry

[Gimpy]

all that "YELLING" I was doing and the support some of us showed to get this mesure defeated went for NAUGHT!

Last Friday the House voted to REMOVE the $1.8 billion from the VA budget it had PROMISED they would leave in over and above the Presidents' measly request of $1.4 billion (it would have been $3.2 billion for those of you from Rio Linda Land!). And GUESS what? It went just as all the other "votes" have gone for the past 10 years, as long as the republicans have been in control of Congress. Cept NOW they got good-ole-boy Gee-Dubya as their LEADER and he'll just propose what THEY want.

Read'um and WEEP my republican friends!

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Vote Tally below
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Yea : 215 Members
Don Young (R-AK)
Robert Aderholt (R-AL)
Spencer Bachus (R-AL)
Jo Bonner (R-AL)
Terry Everett (R-AL)
Michael Rogers (R-AL)
John Boozman (R-AR)
Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
Trent Franks (R-AZ)
J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ)
Jim Kolbe (R-AZ)
Rick Renzi (R-AZ)
John Shadegg (R-AZ)
Mary Bono (R-CA)
Ken Calvert (R-CA)
Christopher Cox (R-CA)
Randy Cunningham (R-CA)
John Doolittle (R-CA)
David Dreier (R-CA)
Elton Gallegly (R-CA)
Wally Herger (R-CA)
Duncan Hunter (R-CA)
Darrell Issa (R-CA)
Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Howard McKeon (R-CA)
Gary Miller (R-CA)
Devin Nunes (R-CA)
Doug Ose (R-CA)
Richard Pombo (R-CA)
George Radanovich (R-CA)
Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)
Ed Royce (R-CA)
William Thomas (R-CA)
Bob Beauprez (R-CO)
Scott McInnis (R-CO)
Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO)
Thomas Tancredo (R-CO)
Christopher Shays (R-CT)
Robert Simmons (R-CT)
Michael Bilirakis (R-FL)
Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL)
Ander Crenshaw (R-FL)
Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
Tom Feeney (R-FL)
Mark Foley (R-FL)
Porter Goss (R-FL)
Katherine Harris (R-FL)
Ric Keller (R-FL)
John Mica (R-FL)
Jeff Miller (R-FL)
Adam Putnam (R-FL)
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
E. Clay Shaw (R-FL)
Cliff Stearns (R-FL)
Dave Weldon (R-FL)
C.W. Bill Young (R-FL)
Max Burns (R-GA)
Michael Collins (R-GA)
Nathan Deal (R-GA)
Phil Gingrey (R-GA)
Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Jack Kingston (R-GA)
John Linder (R-GA)
Charles Norwood (R-GA)
Steve King (R-IA)
Tom Latham (R-IA)
Jim Leach (R-IA)
Jim Nussle (R-IA)
C.L. Otter (R-ID)
Mike Simpson (R-ID)
Judy Biggert (R-IL)
Philip Crane (R-IL)
J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL)
Henry Hyde (R-IL)
Timothy Johnson (R-IL)
Mark Kirk (R-IL)
Ray LaHood (R-IL)
Donald Manzullo (R-IL)
John Shimkus (R-IL)
Jerry Weller (R-IL)
Dan Burton (R-IN)
Chris Chocola (R-IN)
Mike Pence (R-IN)
Mark Souder (R-IN)
Jim Ryun (R-KS)
Todd Tiahrt (R-KS)
Ernie Fletcher (R-KY)
Ron Lewis (R-KY)
Anne Northup (R-KY)
Harold Rogers (R-KY)
Richard Baker (R-LA)
Jim McCrery (R-LA)
W.J. Tauzin (R-LA)
David Vitter (R-LA)
Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD)
Dave Camp (R-MI)
Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)
Peter Hoekstra (R-MI)
Joseph Knollenberg (R-MI)
Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI)
Candice Miller (R-MI)
Michael Rogers (R-MI)
Nick Smith (R-MI)
Fred Upton (R-MI)
Gil Gutknecht (R-MN)
Mark Kennedy (R-MN)
John Kline (R-MN)
Jim Ramstad (R-MN)
Todd Akin (R-MO)
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)
Sam Graves (R-MO)
Kenny Hulshof (R-MO)
Charles Pickering (R-MS)
Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Dennis Rehberg (R-MT)
Cass Ballenger (R-NC)
Richard Burr (R-NC)
Howard Coble (R-NC)
Robin Hayes (R-NC)
Walter Jones (R-NC)
Sue Myrick (R-NC)
Charles Taylor (R-NC)
Doug Bereuter (R-NE)
Tom Osborne (R-NE)
Lee Terry (R-NE)
Charles Bass (R-NH)
Jeb Bradley (R-NH)
Michael Ferguson (R-NJ)
Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ)
Scott Garrett (R-NJ)
Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)
Christopher Smith (R-NJ)
Steve Pearce (R-NM)
Heather Wilson (R-NM)
James Gibbons (R-NV)
Jon Porter (R-NV)
Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY)
Vito Fossella (R-NY)
Sue Kelly (R-NY)
Peter King (R-NY)
Thomas Reynolds (R-NY)
John Sweeney (R-NY)
James Walsh (R-NY)
John Boehner (R-OH)
Steve Chabot (R-OH)
Paul Gillmor (R-OH)
David Hobson (R-OH)
Steven LaTourette (R-OH)
Bob Ney (R-OH)
Michael Oxley (R-OH)
Rob Portman (R-OH)
Deborah Pryce (R-OH)
Ralph Regula (R-OH)
Patrick Tiberi (R-OH)
Michael Turner (R-OH)
Tom Cole (R-OK)
Ernest Istook (R-OK)
Frank Lucas (R-OK)
John Sullivan (R-OK)
Greg Walden (R-OR)
Philip English (R-PA)
Jim Gerlach (R-PA)
Jim Greenwood (R-PA)
Melissa Hart (R-PA)
Timothy Murphy (R-PA)
John Peterson (R-PA)
Joseph Pitts (R-PA)
Don Sherwood (R-PA)
Bill Shuster (R-PA)
Pat Toomey (R-PA)
Curt Weldon (R-PA)
J. Gresham Barrett (R-SC)
Henry Brown (R-SC)
Jim DeMint (R-SC)
Joe Wilson (R-SC)
William Janklow (R-SD)
Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
John Duncan (R-TN)
William Jenkins (R-TN)
Zach Wamp (R-TN)
Joe Barton (R-TX)
Henry Bonilla (R-TX)
Kevin Brady (R-TX)
Michael Burgess (R-TX)
John Carter (R-TX)
Larry Combest (R-TX)
John Culberson (R-TX)
Tom DeLay (R-TX)
Kay Granger (R-TX)
Ralph Hall (D-TX)
Jeb Hensarling (R-TX)
Sam Johnson (R-TX)
Pete Sessions (R-TX)
Lamar Smith (R-TX)
Rob Bishop (R-UT)
Chris Cannon (R-UT)
Eric Cantor (R-VA)
Jo Ann Davis (R-VA)
Thomas Davis (R-VA)
Randy Forbes (R-VA)
Virgil Goode (R-VA)
Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
Edward Schrock (R-VA)
Frank Wolf (R-VA)
Jennifer Dunn (R-WA)
Doc Hastings (R-WA)
George Nethercutt (R-WA)
Mark Green (R-WI)
Thomas Petri (R-WI)
Paul Ryan (R-WI)
F. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
Barbara Cubin (R-WY)


Nay : 212 Members
Robert Cramer (D-AL)
Artur Davis (D-AL)
Marion Berry (D-AR)
Mike Ross (D-AR)
Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
Ed Pastor (D-AZ)
Joe Baca (D-CA)
Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
Howard Berman (D-CA)
Lois Capps (D-CA)
Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
Susan Davis (D-CA)
Calvin Dooley (D-CA)
Anna Eshoo (D-CA)
Sam Farr (D-CA)
Bob Filner (D-CA)
Jane Harman (D-CA)
Michael Honda (D-CA)
Tom Lantos (D-CA)
Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
Robert Matsui (D-CA)
Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA)
George Miller (D-CA)
Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)
Linda Sanchez (D-CA)
Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)
Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Brad Sherman (D-CA)
Hilda Solis (D-CA)
Fortney Stark (D-CA)
Ellen Tauscher (D-CA)
Mike Thompson (D-CA)
Maxine Waters (D-CA)
Diane Watson (D-CA)
Henry Waxman (D-CA)
Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
Diana DeGette (D-CO)
Joel Hefley (R-CO)
Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Nancy Johnson (R-CT)
John Larson (D-CT)
Michael Castle (R-DE)
F. Allen Boyd (D-FL)
Corrine Brown (D-FL)
Jim Davis (D-FL)
Peter Deutsch (D-FL)
Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
Kendrick Meek (D-FL)
Robert Wexler (D-FL)
Sanford Bishop (D-GA)
John Lewis (D-GA)
Denise Majette (D-GA)
Jim Marshall (D-GA)
David Scott (D-GA)
Neil Abercrombie (D-HI)
Ed Case (D-HI)
Leonard Boswell (D-IA)
Jerry Costello (D-IL)
Danny Davis (D-IL)
Rahm Emanuel (D-IL)
Lane Evans (D-IL)
Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)
Jesse Jackson (D-IL)
Bobby Rush (D-IL)
Janice Schakowsky (D-IL)
Julia Carson (D-IN)
Baron Hill (D-IN)
John Hostettler (R-IN)
Peter Visclosky (D-IN)
Dennis Moore (D-KS)
Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Ken Lucas (D-KY)
Edward Whitfield (R-KY)
Rodney Alexander (D-LA)
William Jefferson (D-LA)
Chris John (D-LA)
Michael Capuano (D-MA)
William Delahunt (D-MA)
Barney Frank (D-MA)
Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
Edward Markey (D-MA)
James McGovern (D-MA)
Marty Meehan (D-MA)
Richard Neal (D-MA)
John Olver (D-MA)
John Tierney (D-MA)
Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD)
Benjamin Cardin (D-MD)
Elijah Cummings (D-MD)
Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
C.A. Ruppersberger (D-MD)
Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
Albert Wynn (D-MD)
Thomas Allen (D-ME)
Michael Michaud (D-ME)
John Conyers (D-MI)
John Dingell (D-MI)
Dale Kildee (D-MI)
Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI)
Sander Levin (D-MI)
Bart Stupak (D-MI)
Betty McCollum (D-MN)
James Oberstar (D-MN)
Collin Peterson (D-MN)
Martin Olav Sabo (D-MN)
William Clay (D-MO)
Richard Gephardt (D-MO)
Ike Skelton (D-MO)
Gene Taylor (D-MS)
Bennie Thompson (D-MS)
Frank Ballance (D-NC)
Bob Etheridge (D-NC)
Mike McIntyre (D-NC)
Brad Miller (D-NC)
David Price (D-NC)
Melvin Watt (D-NC)
Earl Pomeroy (D-ND)
Robert Andrews (D-NJ)
Rush Holt (D-NJ)
Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)
Donald Payne (D-NJ)
Steven Rothman (D-NJ)
Tom Udall (D-NM)
Shelley Berkley (D-NV)
Gary Ackerman (D-NY)
Tim Bishop (D-NY)
Joseph Crowley (D-NY)
Eliot Engel (D-NY)
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
Amory Houghton (R-NY)
Steve Israel (D-NY)
Nita Lowey (D-NY)
Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
John McHugh (R-NY)
Michael McNulty (D-NY)
Gregory Meeks (D-NY)
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
Major Owens (D-NY)
Jack Quinn (R-NY)
Charles Rangel (D-NY)
Jose Serrano (D-NY)
Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY)
Edolphus Towns (D-NY)
Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)
Anthony Weiner (D-NY)
Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
Tim Ryan (D-OH)
Ted Strickland (D-OH)
Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH)
Brad Carson (D-OK)
Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
Darlene Hooley (D-OR)
David Wu (D-OR)
Robert Brady (D-PA)
Mike Doyle (D-PA)
Chaka Fattah (D-PA)
Joseph Hoeffel (D-PA)
Tim Holden (D-PA)
Paul Kanjorski (D-PA)
John Murtha (D-PA)
Todd Platts (R-PA)
Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)
James Langevin (D-RI)
James Clyburn (D-SC)
John Spratt (D-SC)
Jim Cooper (D-TN)
Lincoln Davis (D-TN)
Harold Ford (D-TN)
John Tanner (D-TN)
Chris Bell (D-TX)
Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)
Chet Edwards (D-TX)
Martin Frost (D-TX)
Charles Gonzalez (D-TX)
Gene Green (D-TX)
Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX)
Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
Nicholas Lampson (D-TX)
Solomon Ortiz (D-TX)
Ron Paul (R-TX)
Silvestre Reyes (D-TX)
Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX)
Max Sandlin (D-TX)
Charles Stenholm (D-TX)
Jim Turner (D-TX)
Jim Matheson (D-UT)
Rick Boucher (D-VA)
James Moran (D-VA)
Bobby Scott (D-VA)
Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
Brian Baird (D-WA)
Norman Dicks (D-WA)
Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Rick Larsen (D-WA)
Jim McDermott (D-WA)
Adam Smith (D-WA)
Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Ron Kind (D-WI)
Jerry Kleczka (D-WI)
David Obey (D-WI)
Alan Mollohan (D-WV)
Nick Rahall (D-WV)

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Looks like we had a total of ELEVEN (11) republicans that DID have a conscience and had the BALLS to go against "party lines". Seems awfully clear to ME which political party SUPPORTS veterans now, HUH?