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Bush Urges Congress To Pass Veterans Bill

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The Associated Press

Published: November 11, 2007

CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush said Saturday that Democratic leaders in Congress 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.

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.

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.

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.

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