Vets salute Obama on funding
Legion cites administration 'accessibility'
By Kara Rowland
President Obama is struggling to fulfill campaign promises to pass energy and immigration measures, but he's poised to notch another victory for a stump-speech vow: to make sure veterans' funding isn't held hostage to the government's bad finances.
While watchdogs caution there's still a long list of problems for veterans, all sides agree the President Obama has made big strides on promises he made in 2008 when competing for military votes against Republican nominee and Vietnam veteran Sen. John McCain - to fully fund the Veterans Administration, expand access to care in rural areas and improve treatment for mental health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
"The accessibility with this administration has been outstanding. They listen, they reach out to the veterans' service organizations, they see the value in communicating," Peter Gaytan, executive director of the American Legion, the nation's largest veterans' organization, with 2.5 million members.
Even amid competing priorities and a deepening recession, Mr. Obama last year managed to secure the biggest increase in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs in 30 years. And as Congress begins writing spending bills for 2011, despite a spending freeze on some other domestic spending, he's looking for more aid for veterans.
Mr. Obama's proposed VA budget for fiscal 2011 asks for $125 billion - a 10 percent jump from what Congress enacted for 2010, which was itself more than 16 percent more than 2009. The discretionary portion of next year's budget request - the part the administration and Congress have the most direct control over - is up nearly 20 percent since 2009, to total $60.3 billion.
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Vets salute Obama on funding
Showing posts with label Veterans funding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Veterans funding. Show all posts
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Minnesota House should be ashamed cutting veterans funds
Is this why so many Republicans think the Democratic party does not support veterans? While the vast majority of Democrats really support veterans, the Minnesota House Democrats have decided that it's a good idea to cut back on funding for veterans in a time when there are reports across the nation screaming how much help they need to heal from the wounds they received in service to this nation. Are they out of their minds?
I said a long time ago that when it comes to the troops and our veterans, political party should be secondary. This is why when a Republican does something right, I fully support them no matter what party they belong to and when Democratic Party members get it wrong, I fully slam them. This is one of the worst times to cut back on veterans because their needs have been growing and will keep growing with two active military campaigns going on and finally an awareness reaching older veterans about what has been wrong with them when it comes to PTSD. What good does it do to make them aware of what can be done for them and what caused their agony when their own state does not think they are worthy of funding?
I said a long time ago that when it comes to the troops and our veterans, political party should be secondary. This is why when a Republican does something right, I fully support them no matter what party they belong to and when Democratic Party members get it wrong, I fully slam them. This is one of the worst times to cut back on veterans because their needs have been growing and will keep growing with two active military campaigns going on and finally an awareness reaching older veterans about what has been wrong with them when it comes to PTSD. What good does it do to make them aware of what can be done for them and what caused their agony when their own state does not think they are worthy of funding?
Letter: Hamilton disappointed in House Democrats
On a party-line vote, the Minnesota House of Representatives has approved a finance proposal that reduces funding for agriculture, veterans, and military needs across the state. All House Republicans opposed the measure because it does not fairly fund veterans, military affairs and farm programs.
By: Dist. 22B Rep. Rod Hamilton, R-Mountain Lake, Worthington Daily Globe
On a party-line vote, the Minnesota House of Representatives has approved a finance proposal that reduces funding for agriculture, veterans, and military needs across the state. All House Republicans opposed the measure because it does not fairly fund veterans, military affairs and farm programs.
As Vice-Chair of the committee that approved the bill, I am outraged by the priorities set by House Democrats in this budget-setting process.
The House majority gave this committee a funding target that was ridiculously low, and our veterans and our farmers will suffer because of it. Instead of refusing to take a stand against funding dog parks and practice hockey arenas, the majority forced farm programs to be gutted in order to increase funding for our veterans.
Special needs requests from suffering veterans across the state are increasing at an alarming rate. So far in 2009, the Department of Veterans Affairs has already spent 15 percent more on medical requests than at this point in 2008. Special needs applications for veterans have also increased by 25 percent, which is why additional funding is needed in this area.
go here for more
http://www.dglobe.com/event/article/id/21729/
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Iraq Vets Storm the Hill, Congress Rapidly Responds
Paul Rieckhoff
Exec. Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)
Posted February 12, 2009 01:56 AM (EST)
Iraq Vets Storm the Hill, Congress Rapidly Responds
Earlier this week, I told you about an amazing group of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans that were coming to Capitol Hill for a historic trip to Congress, to advocate on behalf of their fellow vets. Today, I want to tell you just one of their extraordinary stories.
Rey Leal served as a Marine in Fallujah during some of the heaviest fighting, earning a Bronze Star with valor as a Private First Class, an almost unheard of accomplishment for a soldier of his rank. But when he returned to southern Texas, he needed help coming home from war. Instead of having resources at his fingertips, his closest VA hospital was over five hours away. Rey’s a tough Marine, and a boxer, but he shouldn’t have to fight to get care at a veterans’ hospital. And at his nearest outpatient clinic, there was just one psychologist, taking appointments only two days a week.
The psychologist only works two days because that Texas clinic, like many VA clinics and hospitals, has to stretch its’ funding to make sure the money lasts the whole year. They don’t know how much funding they’ll have next year because the VA budget is routinely passed late. In fact, 19 of the past 22 years, the budget has not been passed on time. As a result, the VA is forced to ration care for the almost 6 million veterans that depend on its services.
For the millions of veterans like Rey, we must fix this broken VA funding system.
Imagine trying to balance your family’s budget without knowing what your next paycheck will be. That’s what we’re asking of the largest health care provider in the nation to do. And it doesn’t work.
click link for more
Exec. Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)
Posted February 12, 2009 01:56 AM (EST)
Iraq Vets Storm the Hill, Congress Rapidly Responds
Earlier this week, I told you about an amazing group of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans that were coming to Capitol Hill for a historic trip to Congress, to advocate on behalf of their fellow vets. Today, I want to tell you just one of their extraordinary stories.
Rey Leal served as a Marine in Fallujah during some of the heaviest fighting, earning a Bronze Star with valor as a Private First Class, an almost unheard of accomplishment for a soldier of his rank. But when he returned to southern Texas, he needed help coming home from war. Instead of having resources at his fingertips, his closest VA hospital was over five hours away. Rey’s a tough Marine, and a boxer, but he shouldn’t have to fight to get care at a veterans’ hospital. And at his nearest outpatient clinic, there was just one psychologist, taking appointments only two days a week.
The psychologist only works two days because that Texas clinic, like many VA clinics and hospitals, has to stretch its’ funding to make sure the money lasts the whole year. They don’t know how much funding they’ll have next year because the VA budget is routinely passed late. In fact, 19 of the past 22 years, the budget has not been passed on time. As a result, the VA is forced to ration care for the almost 6 million veterans that depend on its services.
For the millions of veterans like Rey, we must fix this broken VA funding system.
Imagine trying to balance your family’s budget without knowing what your next paycheck will be. That’s what we’re asking of the largest health care provider in the nation to do. And it doesn’t work.
click link for more
Friday, February 6, 2009
$3.6 billion hike urged for VA health care
$3.6 billion hike urged for VA health care
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Feb 6, 2009 15:11:06 EST
Four leading veterans groups called Friday for a $4.5 billion increase in veterans programs, including $3.6 billion for health care.
This is an even bigger increase than the groups asked for a year ago, and puts added pressure on President Barack Obama to keep campaign promises for full funding of Veterans Affairs Department programs.
The increase, which would result in a $54.6 billion discretionary VA budget, comes in the so-called “independent budget” prepared each year by AmVets, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
The $54.6 billion budget includes health care, administrative and construction funds and some costs related to the administration of benefits, but not the costs of the benefits themselves.
Recommendations made in the independent budget often become a benchmark used by members of Congress to judge the adequacy of administration budget requests. Its timing — before the Obama administration makes its first budget submission — sets the stage for criticism if Obama asks for an increase of less than $3.6 billion.
click link for more
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Feb 6, 2009 15:11:06 EST
Four leading veterans groups called Friday for a $4.5 billion increase in veterans programs, including $3.6 billion for health care.
This is an even bigger increase than the groups asked for a year ago, and puts added pressure on President Barack Obama to keep campaign promises for full funding of Veterans Affairs Department programs.
The increase, which would result in a $54.6 billion discretionary VA budget, comes in the so-called “independent budget” prepared each year by AmVets, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
The $54.6 billion budget includes health care, administrative and construction funds and some costs related to the administration of benefits, but not the costs of the benefits themselves.
Recommendations made in the independent budget often become a benchmark used by members of Congress to judge the adequacy of administration budget requests. Its timing — before the Obama administration makes its first budget submission — sets the stage for criticism if Obama asks for an increase of less than $3.6 billion.
click link for more
Sunday, October 19, 2008
McCain would hurt seniors and veterans among many others
Colin Powell endorses Obama: Video
Why would Powell endorse Obama? He explained it very clearly this morning the same way many other people across the country have. While McCain believes that we owe him our vote because he was a Vietnam POW and served the country, he seems to have forgotten that many across the nation have been left out of receiving any benefit from his years of service in the senate. His voting record proves it.
McCain plans on privatizing social security, which means great harm can come to the lives of seniors across this nation. He wants the younger people to "invest" in the stock market, which as we've all seen, is a dangerous thing to do. This alone would harm seniors without the privatization of the system that has worked all these years.
McCain plans on causing division among veterans by "offering" to allow veterans without combat wounds to seek medical care elsewhere instead of from the VA which they were promised would be there in repayment of their own years of service. McCain's record on veterans funding has been deplorable while he expects they will simply support him no matter what harm he has caused them by voting against what they need and delaying changes needed to address the needs of the wounded as well as the elderly population.
McCain lacks the ability to remove himself from the same policies that caused most of the messes this nation has faced at the same time he expects us to simply trust his word that he has not supported Bush and his failed policies even though McCain took pride in declaring "I voted with the President 90% of the time" when he was in the GOP primary. While McCain expects the job of leading this nation he did not expect that he would have had to earn that right.
While we deserved to have our issues addressed, McCain decided to pull stunts, from selected someone like Sarah Palin, to using every opportunity and dirty trick to cause further division in this nation. Obama on the other hand has sought to restore the unity of the American people. This, the American people have been longing for since the attacks of 9-11 when we were reminded that no matter what our differences were, we are one nation and come together to help each other. We need that unity again. We need to get past the greed is good mentality that has caused so much harm and reward generosity as well as loyalty and true patriotism.
Eyes are opening up in this nation. The majority can see that no matter what color a person's skin is, it in no way something to judge them by. As Martin Luther King Jr. declared, content of their character does matter more than the color of their skin. What matters most to the voters is what matters in our own lives and this is a wonderful thing. kc
Why would Powell endorse Obama? He explained it very clearly this morning the same way many other people across the country have. While McCain believes that we owe him our vote because he was a Vietnam POW and served the country, he seems to have forgotten that many across the nation have been left out of receiving any benefit from his years of service in the senate. His voting record proves it.
McCain plans on privatizing social security, which means great harm can come to the lives of seniors across this nation. He wants the younger people to "invest" in the stock market, which as we've all seen, is a dangerous thing to do. This alone would harm seniors without the privatization of the system that has worked all these years.
McCain plans on causing division among veterans by "offering" to allow veterans without combat wounds to seek medical care elsewhere instead of from the VA which they were promised would be there in repayment of their own years of service. McCain's record on veterans funding has been deplorable while he expects they will simply support him no matter what harm he has caused them by voting against what they need and delaying changes needed to address the needs of the wounded as well as the elderly population.
McCain lacks the ability to remove himself from the same policies that caused most of the messes this nation has faced at the same time he expects us to simply trust his word that he has not supported Bush and his failed policies even though McCain took pride in declaring "I voted with the President 90% of the time" when he was in the GOP primary. While McCain expects the job of leading this nation he did not expect that he would have had to earn that right.
While we deserved to have our issues addressed, McCain decided to pull stunts, from selected someone like Sarah Palin, to using every opportunity and dirty trick to cause further division in this nation. Obama on the other hand has sought to restore the unity of the American people. This, the American people have been longing for since the attacks of 9-11 when we were reminded that no matter what our differences were, we are one nation and come together to help each other. We need that unity again. We need to get past the greed is good mentality that has caused so much harm and reward generosity as well as loyalty and true patriotism.
Eyes are opening up in this nation. The majority can see that no matter what color a person's skin is, it in no way something to judge them by. As Martin Luther King Jr. declared, content of their character does matter more than the color of their skin. What matters most to the voters is what matters in our own lives and this is a wonderful thing. kc
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