| July 23, 2003 Republicans on the Rules Committee did not allow the House the opportunity to vote on two pro-veterans health amendments. One amendment would have increased the funding for veterans' health care to the levels promised in the budget resolution passed earlier that year. The other would have provided an additional $2.2 billion for VA medical care by reducing the recently-passed tax cuts for taxpayers with yearly incomes in excess of a million dollars.
July 25, 2003 although they had slashed it to begin with, Shelley Moore Capito and Republicans in the majority broke their promise on veterans' health care that they had made by underfunding the VA in their FY 2004 Budget. [H. Res. 338, Vote #450, 7/25/03
October 31, 2003, Democrats sought an additional $1.3 billion for veterans health care, but Ms. Capito voted in lockstep with her Republican majority to reject. They willingly complied with the Bush Administration who openly opposed the Democratic motion to include $1.3 billion for veterans' health care in the Iraqi Supplemental. [H.R. 3289, Vote #600,10/31/03]
March 25, 2004 Democrats again sought to rectify the VA budget shortfall by offering amendments to adding funding both in committee and on the floor of the House. With Ms. Capito's nay vote, Republicans defeated the Democratic substitute to the GOP FY 2005 Budget Resolution. The GOP majority in the House rejected Dem's proposed $2.5 billion increase over the Bush budget for veterans' health care for FY 2005, which was critically needed to maintain the then-current level of veterans' health care services. [H.Con.Res. 393, Vote #91, 3/25/04. Rejected 194-232 (R 0-224; D 193-8)]
March 25, 2004 Republicans once again, with Ms. Capito's vote, passed a woefully inadequate budget resolution, this time shortchanging veterans' health care by $1.3 billion. This was despite the fact that the bipartisan Veterans' Affair Committee had reported the amount was needed just to maintain current services. [H.Con.Res. 393, Vote #92, 3/25/04. Adopted 215-212 (R 215-10; D 0-201)]
June 24, 2004 Ms Capito and her House majority Republicans defeated an "investing in national priorities" bill that would have provided an additional $1.3 billion to improve veterans' health care, shortened waiting times at VA health care facilities, and provided critical mental health services to address needs resulting from wartime deployments. The Paralyzed Veterans of America had called this bill "vital," bringing veterans' health care funding to the level that the House Veterans' Affairs Committee on a bipartisan basis had said was necessary just to maintain current services. [H.Res. 685, Vote #301, 6/24/04. Rejected 184-230 (R 2-217; D 181-13)]
September 29, 2004 Ms Capito and her Republican majority once again defeated the Democratic motion to provide an additional $1.3 billion for veterans' health care for FY 2005. Democrats were attempting to add veterans' health money to Fiscal Year 2005 Continuing Resolution knowing that veterans health care was falling below standard as more and more casualties were coming back from their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. [H.J.Res. 107, Vote #478, 9/29/04. Rejected 200-221 (R 1-219; D 198-2)]
March 15, 2005 Ms. Capito joined with the Republican majority vote to block Dems from offering yet another amendment, as they were trying to add $1.2 billion to stave off problems from underfunding veterans' health care for FY 2005. The attempt to tack additional funding onto the $82 billion Iraqi Supplemental was sponsored by Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-OR). [H.R. 1248, Vote #69, 3/15/05. Motion agreed to 220-195 (R 220-1; D 0-193)]
March 15, 2005 Ms. Capito and House Republicans in the majority blocked consideration of yet another amendment, this time by by Rep. Bob Filner, to add $3.1 billion for veterans' healthcare in FY 2005. [H.R. 1248, Vote #71, 3/15/05. Motion agreed to 224-200 (R 220-1; D 0-193)]
March 17, 2005 Ms. Capito and House Republicans rejected Democrats repeated efforts to add money for veterans' health care both in committee and on the floor to the FY 2006 Budget. The Republican's budget plan was to vote in lockstep for $798 million in veterans cuts over five years and to the rubber stamp President's proposal to increase fees to veterans before they could receive health care. Democratic Rep. Obey of Wisconsin attempted to offer an amendment to provide $3.2 billion more than the President's budget in FY 2006 for veterans' health care, to meet the growing needs of returning soldiers. The Democratic budget also included a $20.9 billion increase over 5 years, for veterans' health care in anticipation of growing needs. [H CON RES 95, Votes #82 & 87, 3/17/05].
March 17, 2005 Republicans, again with Ms. Capito's vote, pass a budget that's short $2 billion of what was needed for veterans' health care that year. It was also $14 billion below the amount they knew needed to maintain veterans' programs at their current levels over five year. The President's plan was to either require new fees for veterans' health care or otherwise engage cuts in veterans' benefits. [H CON RES 95, Vote #88, 3/17/05].
May 26, 2005 Ms. Capito and the House Republican majority blocked consideration of a Democratic amendment to provide an additional $2.6 billion for veterans' health care in FY 2006. This funding attempt failed despite having been publicly supported by the coalition of AMVETS, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. May 26, 2005
June 23, 2005 VA undersecretary for health Jonathan B. Perlin, House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson acknowledge veterans health budget shortfall of at least $1 billion. "The disclosure of the shortfall angered Senate Republicans who have been voting down Democratic proposals to boost VA programs at significant political cost. Their votes have brought the wrath of the American Legion, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and other organizations down on the GOP." sourcelink
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Later that same year House Republican leaders would put a stop to veterans-service organizations from making legislative recommendations at joint House-Senate hearings, ending a 55 year tradition in Congress.
June 24, 2005 Ms. Capito voted in lockstep with House Republicans to block consideration of an amendment offered by Democrats to add the needed funds for VA health care [HR 3010, Vote #320, 6/24/05. Failed 185-216]
June 24, 2005 Since Ms. Capito and the Republican majority had refused to allow the amendment, Congressman David Obey of Wisconsin offered a motion to send the bill back and add the needed funding for veterans' health care. Yet again, much-needed veteran's health care was blocked by their lockstep vote. [HR 3010, Vote #320, 6/24/05. Failed 185-216]
June 28, 2005 Ms. Capito and her rubber stamping Republicans reject another Democratic attempt to make up for the shortfall in the House. Had it passed, the amendment by Rep. Chet Edwards would have added $1 billion for VA health care in FY 2005 to the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. [HR 3057, Vote # 325, 6/28/05. Failed 217-189]
June 30, 2005 Several months after becoming aware of the shortfall and more than one week after acknowledging a shortfall, the White House and House Republicans begrudgingly acted to deal with the current year shortfall in veterans' health care, passing only $975 million. [H RES 3130 Vote #362 (227- 191 PASSED Ms. Capito once again in lockstep with her Republican friends). Notably, the amount the House Republicans granted was significantly less than the Senate had passed, thereby further delaying much needed funding for veterans' health care. Democrats subsequently attempted to bring the total of the supplemental to $1.5 billion to match the Senate amount, but on a party line vote, Republicans reject their effort to get the much-needed money to immediately veteran's medical facilities [H RES 345 Vote #359, 6/30/05. Motion agreed to 216-191 (R 216-0; D 0-191)]
Final action for 2005 FY's shortfall is not completed as Congress adjourned for their July 4th recess. Instead of immediately fixing the shortfall the Republican-held House chose to force veterans to keep waiting for their healthcare. Thanks to the right-leaning corporate-held compliant media, we will never know why they chose to do this, in a time of war, when new veterans are coming home every day.
11/08/05 Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), the House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman, announced that veterans-service organizations would no longer have the opportunity to make legislative recommendations at joint House-Senate hearings, ending a 55 year tradition in Congress. "Some people don't want to be criticized for being deficient," said Richard Fuller, legislative director for Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). "What they want to do is get rid of these [joint] legislative presentations because they have become, unfortunately now in the climate on Capitol Hill, very partisan."
Mr. Fuller was putting it far too mildly. Republicans didn't want bipartisan veteran's groups to horn in on those fat tax cuts for the Greedy Offshore Profiteers behind those running Congress.
Ms. Capito was on the powerful House Rules committee during that time, yet she neither offered nor was ever asked for any explanation about this by any of her hometown newspapers.
Feb. 10, 2006. Organizations representing millions of America's veterans urge Congress to increase the fiscal year 2007 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) budget proposal by more than $2 billion to meet the crucial health care needs of our nation's veterans and eliminate an administration plan to create new fees and double prescription co-payments for some veterans. AMVETS, the Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, say that Congress needs to increase the President's budget request for VA medical services alone by $1.2 billion to adequately maintain veterans' health care in fiscal year 2007.
March 15, 2006 Rep. John Salazar [D-CO] attempts to introduce an amendment to the House signed by 126 House Democrats, detailing the very real funding needs faced by the VA and requesting funding to address them. Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) shot down the amendment on a point of order sustained by the Republican-held Chair. [H.Amdt. 710: An amendment numbered 2 printed in the Congressional Record to increase funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs by $630,000,000.]
May 18, 2006 Ms. Capito voted along party lines and in lockstep with her Republican friends to match Bush's budget request for FY 2007, thereby cutting veterans' health care by $6 billion over the next 5 years. [H CON RES 376 Vote #158, 5/18/06. On Agreeing to the Resolution 218-210].
May 19, 2006, Ms Capito voted along party lines with the Republican House majority finalized their 2007 FY Veterans health care budget without including the President's controversial increase in proposed fees and co-payments. Not increasing fees and co-payment left an under-funding of $100 million less in Medical Services than President Bush's request, while calling for the same overall level for VA health care [H R 5385 Vote #176 5/19/06 On Passage 213-182].
May 19, 2006 Representative Sam Farr (D-CA) tried in vain to revisit and rectify the Republican's underfunding of veterans fy2007 health care budget. His attempt was thwarted by Ms. Capito and her Republican colleagues by party line vote both in committee and on the House floor [H R 5385 Vote #175 5/19/06 On Agreeing to the Amendment 151-247].
http://www.farr.house.gov/inde...
July 20, 2006, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported its version of H.R. 5385. Similar to the House version regarding the amount of underfunding provided for Veteran's Medical Services, The Republican-held Senate finally passed an amended
version of their bill on November 14, 2006 by voice vote.
However, no final version of H.R. 5385 was passed prior to the
end of the 109th Congress (2005-2006). Instead, fiscal year 2006 military construction and VA appropriations levels were extended through February 15, 2007, under a continuing resolution (H.J. Res. 102) that was signed into law on December 9, 2006.
In other words, the Republican-lead 109th Congress passed their Bush-controlled under-funding VA appropriations problems on to the next Congress, because by then, they knew the Democratic leadership would have to deal with President Bush.
President Bush's budgets and rubber-stamping Republicans in Congress had consistently shortchanged those who served our country for far too long. The new Democratically-lead Congress has now begun to deal with VA problems head on, starting with the passage of H.R. 2642.
And since the Dems gained only a very slim majority of seats in the 2006 election, Republicans in Congress have filibustered, stalled and blocked legislation like no other congress before.
But when the scandal of the way veterans had been mistreated at the Army's top medical hospital made headlines across the country (Walter Reed), a VA's medical backlog of around 600,000 veterans was also uncovered. Bush appointees to the VA left in disgrace and Republican congressmen were finally forced into either letting their opponents pass long needed legislation, or else pay a heavy political price at the polls.
Highlights of HR 2642 the "Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2008":
Veterans Medical Care - $37.1 billion of the money is budgeted for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to provide increased medical services to more than 5.8 million patients in 2008, including more than 263,345 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. This money will enable the VHA to provide:
• Improved access to medical services for all veterans
• New programs for mental health and PTSD, including establishing specialized centers and services
• Improved and expanded programs for specialty mental health care and substance abuse and better programs for psychiatric patients
• Increased assistance for an additional 2,300 homeless veterans
• New and upgraded health care and extended care facilities and improved facility maintenance
VA Claims Processing - The bill includes $1.6 billion for the Veterans Benefits Administration to hire roughly 1,100 additional claims processors. These resources should significantly reduce the backlog of benefits claims as well as the time to process new claims.
In addition, the Department will establish a toll-free hotline and website-based hotline to help veterans get assistance and report troubles with medical facilities and care.
DoD to VA Transition - A minimum of $15 million will be used for joint programs between the Department of Defense and the VHA to increase research, improve access to care, and ensure a more seamless transition for veterans, particularly for traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, increased survival of severe burns, and amputation - the issues of greatest concern for the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill also requires that medical information accompany patients as they transition from the Department of Defense health system to the VA health system.
All of the major veterans groups strongly endorse the measure - including Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Disabled Veterans of America, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America, Association of the United States Army, National Association for Uniformed Services, and AMVets.
American Legion called it: "an impressive commitment to this nation's service members, veterans, and their families. This measure... reflects funding levels recommended by The American Legion and the vast majority of the veterans' community." [Letter to Speaker Pelosi, June 7, 2007]
Independent Budget: "This represents a significant, much-needed investment in health care and the benefits delivery system for our nation's sick and disabled veterans," according to AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars. [Press release, May 24, 2007]
VFW: "The record funding level acknowledges the deep debt this nation owes to its defenders and that the care and services provided to them is the ongoing cost of war." [Letter to Chairman Edwards, June 13, 2007]
Military Officers Association of America: "The extraordinary level of funding gives the VA vital resources to adequately address the health care needs of the men and women who have served and sacrificed in defense of our nation. It also will allow the VA to expand its efforts to effectively tackle the enormous and rapidly growing backlog." [Letter to Chairman Obey, June 6, 2007]
AmVets: "Overall, AMVETS believes these funding levels will ensure VA will be able to serve America's veterans and their families with dignity and compassion, and that the department will successfully continue to be their principal advocate in ensuring they receive medical care, benefits, social support, and other crucial services. Equally important, this level of funding will ensure that returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan will continue to receive priority health care and other VA services." [Letter to Chairman Chet Edwards, June 11, 2007]
The National Association for Uniformed Services: "Our heroes deserve the priority attention you have given in providing the resources necessary to deliver quality healthcare and entitlement programs to our veterans. The fiscal year 2008 appropriations will have a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who have dedicated their lives to serving our country, and I want you to know we appreciate your leadership." [From Rick Jones, Legislative Director of NAUS, June 6, 2007]
Disabled American Veterans called it: "keeping faith with America's veterans" and said "your conviction to fully fund VA health care has been borne out in the generous increase you passed for the Veteran Heath Administration." [Letter from Bradley Barton, DAV National Commander, May 23, 2007]
Conversely, by voting to underfund the VA's fiscal needs time after time since handing Bush the keys to fire up Dick Cheney's oil-fired war machine, Shelley Moore Capito broke faith with America's veterans for years, demonstrating that her true allegiance is to Bush's tax cut for the wealthiest of Americans. |
