In this Associated Press story it explains the problems with the FY2008 Veterans Budget and the name calling the White House and Congress are using, but when you get into the real facts, you see it is no more than politcs as usual.
President Bush said Saturday that Congress' Democratic leaders should celebrate Veterans Day by finally passing a spending bill covering programs for veterans.
"Congressional leaders let the fiscal year end without passing this bill they know our veterans need," Bush said in his weekly radio address. "The time to act is running out. ... The best way members of Congress can give thanks to our veterans is to send me a clean bill that I can sign into law."
Bush's dig at Democrats didn't tell the whole story.
Then the story goes on to tell the rest of the truth, the part the President ignored:
Congress has never delivered to Bush a veterans affairs spending bill by Veterans Day, even when Capitol Hill was run by Republicans. And even veterans' groups have been reluctant to criticize this year's Congress for the delay, because they are thankful for large budget increases already engineered by Democrats since they assumed the majority in January. They added $3.4 billion to the veterans' budget in February and $1.8 billion in May.
Congressman Joe Sestak D-Pennsylvania gave the democratic response to the Presidents radio address
The veterans bill has gotten caught up in a larger battle between the White House and Congress over Democratic efforts to add about $23 billion for domestic programs to Bush's $933 billion proposal for all agency budgets passed by Congress each year. Only late last week did Congress approve the first two of 12 spending bills for the budget year that began Oct. 1.
Democrats had sought to combine the veterans spending measure with ones for education, health and job training programs to force passage of increases for the other programs. But Bush has insisted that the veterans money come to him in a stand-alone bill, and the veterans portion was stripped from the larger legislation this week, leaving that funding in limbo.
The veterans' bill adds $3.7 billion over Bush's request for the Veterans Affairs Department's budget. The increase would ease waiting times to claim VA health benefits and add money to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.
In a joint letter to Bush on Saturday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told the president that the Democratic Congress wants to work with him.
"Key to this dialogue, however, is some willingness on your part to actually find common ground," they wrote. "Thus far, we have seen only a hard line drawn and a demand that we send only legislation that reflects your cuts to critical priorities of the American people."
So, the President ignores the fact that for the past 6 years the republican controlled Congress NEVER delivered a Veterans Budget before Veterans Day, and it is only a problem NOW because we have a democratic controlled Congress.
He is also mad that the Veterans Budget is about six billion more than he wanted and he knows he can NOT veto the budget, even the republicans running for re-election next year would not dare vote against benefits for veterans right now, not after the fiasco at Walter Reed, and Bob Woodruffs interview with Secretary James Nicholson where he looked like an idiot claiming all the Iraq war veterans were coming to the VA hospitals for dental work.
Bottom line is the Veterans will get the extra funds because of the democratic controlled Congress, not because of President Bush's temper tantrums not because of the "help" of the Republicans, bottom line is that next year is a Presidential election and many Senators and all the Congressmen have to run for re-election, President Bush doesn't, so it's every politician for themselves right now. I bet Joe Wilson even votes to pass this budget.Sphere: Related Content
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