Bob Filner

Mr. FILNER

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2716, the Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001. This homeless bill retains the best components of two individuals bills, introduced by Ranking Member Evans and Chairman Smith. I was an original co-sponsor of H.R. 936, the Heather French Henry Homeless Veterans Assistance Act introduced by Ranking Member Evans and later in the Senate as S. 736 by Senator Paul Wellstone, because I believed it would enhance effective programs serving homeless veterans, such as community based ``grant and per diem'' care, the homeless veterans reintegration program, and the comprehensive homeless veterans centers. In particular, the bill emphasizes the VA's mental health and substance abuse programs-- programs that help veterans achieve the stability they need in order to move toward rebuilding productive lives. I also believe H.R. 936 would address gaps in VA's care continuum that have been identified by homeless veterans their advocates, such as dental care and outreach to prevent veterans at risk for homelessness. It allows innovative new grant programs to address the needs of veterans whose needs may not be addressed by mainstream programs-- programs for terminally ill veterans, veterans with ``dual diagnosis'', that is mental illness and substance abuse disorders, frail elderly veterans, and women. In Committee hearings, Members from both sides of the aisle identified both the medical necessity and the social importance of a dental benefit in helping veterans regain their footing in society. I believe dental care is an important, but underemphasized part of the VA health care system. This is a small, but critical step we can take toward making this service available to additional veterans. I also appreciate elements of Chairman Smith's bill, the Homeless Veterans' Assistance Act. I particularly appreciated his bill's emphasis on finding permanent supported housing options for homeless veterans. Together, the composite legislation will allow VA to consolidate and coordinate programs for homeless veterans both within the Department, within other federal agencies, and in the non-profit sector that furnish services to our homeless veterans. I believe this comprehensive homeless legislation will make a real difference in the lives of America's homeless veterans. The final bill retains the stated goal of H.R. 936: to end chronic homelessness among veterans within a decade. I believe the comprehensive bill before us puts the Department of Veterans Affairs on the right path for making this happen. I urge my colleagues to support this measure.

Mr. FILNER

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the ``Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Programs Enhancement Act of 2001''. I want to thank Chairman Christopher Smith, Ranking Member Lane Evans and Chairman Jerry Moran of the Health Subcommittee for addressing some of the concerns I raised about earlier versions of the bill. We now have a bill to which I am pleased to lend my support. Mr. Speaker, as a long-time advocate of chiropractic and a user of its services, I am, perhaps, most gratified that we have agreed to a comprehensive proposal to create a permanent chiropractic program within the Department of Veterans Affairs. This legislation will require VA to establish a national chiropractic program that will make chiropractic services available in each geographic service area. VA has rebuffed Congress and the chiropractic profession time and time again in an attempt to bring better access to chiropractic services under the VA's umbrella. We asked VA to develop a policy under the Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act, but leaving the policy development in VA's hands, veterans' access to chiropractic services has worsened. We simply cannot allow VA to keep barring the door to chiropractic care. Today is a fresh start for chiropractic care in VA. While I prefer the chiropractic care version this House approved in H.R. 2792, as amended, the provision in the bill before us today ensures that chiropractic care will be available in every VA network. To ensure that this program's implementation is smooth, the conference agreement establishes a chiropractic advisory committee that will provide VA the expertise and advocacy needed to address the issues involved in hiring chiropractors and ensuring that chiropractors are able to participate in its workforce using their skills and training to their fullest potential. I believe that this bill offers the fundamentals from which VA can begin to develop a sound chiropractic program. Eventually, I believe it will be necessary for VA to establish a director of chiropractic service and for Congress to specify, in law, an established number of sites for chiropractic care. Still, for the first time, this law will ensure that veterans have a real opportunity to access this important part of the health care continuum. In our Subcommittee hearing this Fall, we heard from many of the veterans' service organizations and animal trainers on the invaluable assistance provided by service dogs to severely disabled people. I am pleased that this bill retains this provision. We have strengthened the requirements for VA to report to Congress on programs that serve some of our most vulnerable veterans. We have focused these reporting requirements on VA's mental health programs. I believe this will give Congress a much clearer idea about what types of valuable specialized services are eroding. I am also pleased that these reports will make geographic service areas accountable for maintaining programs under their authority. For too long, we have heard VA's central office indicate that they are helpless over controlling the activities of their field managers. Making the networks accountable for the maintenance of specialized programs to serve disabled veterans puts the responsibility where the authority lies. Mr. Speaker, I believe thousands of veterans will benefit from a provision in this bill, strongly advocated by Chairman Smith, that adjusts VA copayments for acute hospital inpatient care to the cost-of- living veterans experience in different areas of the country. Salaries, food, and housing costs vary greatly across this Nation. This legislation permits VA to use a widely employed index of geographic variances in cost of living--one already used by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to assess a family's ability to afford housing--to gauge veterans' ability to pay for health care services. This legislation ensures that veterans, who are eligible for low-income housing in a given geographic location, but who are not considered medically indigent under the national Department of Veterans Affairs means-test, are given a break on the acute inpatient hospital copayments they would otherwise have to make. I want to extend a special thanks to Congresswoman Lois Capps for introducing H.R. 1435. This bill raised the Committee's awareness of the need for a round-the-clock telephone crisis and referral service. We intend to have the VA investigate its current resources and recommend a strategy for enhancing its current capabilities. This measure contains a charter for a new Commission on VA Nursing. As we know, the nursing profession, inside and outside of VA has changed and VA must be prepared to be an ``employer of choice'' in the future. This Commission can give expert advise on where VA must position itself now and in the future to attract the best nurses available to treat our veterans. In addition, it contains provisions from S. 1188, and its companion introduced in the House by Tom Udall, H.R. 3017. These provisions will provide additional opportunities for VA to recruit and retain nurses--an invaluable component of its health care staff. The Health Care Programs Enhancement Act is a strong measure and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. FILNER

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for raising these issues, especially his statement about the Coast Guard. I represent San Diego, California; and we only inspect less than 10 percent of the ships coming in. We need more positions for the Coast Guard. I thank the gentleman for his efforts here.

Mr. FILNER

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell my colleagues about an incredible situation that is going on in my district in San Diego, California. I have running through my district 50 million gallons of raw sewage a day. I doubt that any congressperson in America could say that, 50 million gallons of raw sewage coming through his or her district. This is because of the nature of the geography in southern California and the unfortunate situation that our sister city across the Mexican border, Tijuana, does not have facilities to treat all its sewage, so sewage which is untreated eventually finds its way into the Tijuana River Valley, across my district and then empties into the Pacific Ocean. It is a terrible environmental problem which both countries are trying to solve. I have worked on this problem for over a decade as a member of the San Diego City Council and as a member of this Congress. We found a win-win-win way to deal with this issue that had been plaguing us for 50 years. A joint U.S.-Mexico private firm made a proposal to build a sewage treatment plant using the most advanced environmental techniques to build such a plant in Mexico where the water could be treated to a level that could be reclaimed for agriculture, commercial or even drinking use, which Mexico desperately needs, and this treatment would be paid for by the United States government. It is the citizens of this country that are being affected by the potential disease and the environmental problems. So we thought, given the situation, that a private firm working with both countries could not only treat the sewage, but solve the U.S. environmental problem, and help recycle water to Mexico. My former colleague and I, Mr. Bilbray, convinced this Congress that such a plan was workable, and, in fact, this Congress a year ago passed a law, Public Law 106-457, to do exactly what I just outlined, to solve a 50-year-old problem. Title VIII of that law authorized the International Boundary and Water Commission to begin negotiations with Mexico to provide for the treatment of Mexican sewage that flows into the United States. This Congress decided that unanimously. Recently, the new commissioner that was appointed by President Bush for the International Boundary and Water Commission, Mr. Carlos Ramirez from El Paso, decided on his own, without talking to any of us here in Congress, ignoring decades of litigation by environmental groups, ignoring all the work that had been done by the political leaders, local, State and Federal, in San Diego and in Mexico, repeatedly said recently in public meetings and to the press that that law had no force, that he was not required to, in fact, undertake those negotiations and build the treatment plant mandated by Congress. In fact, he said we are going to do it with an expensive process that this Congress and our whole border community rejected a decade ago. I do not know why the new commissioner started off his work in this fashion. I offered to meet with him. No meeting could be arranged, but I took this problem to the chairman of the subcommittee that had worked out this legislation a year ago, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan), and he agreed to hold an oversight hearing on the implementation of the law that required the sewage treatment plant to be built cooperatively with Mexico. This hearing will be scheduled for this Wednesday, December 12. I hope that the administration spokesman, Mr. Ramirez, his employer, the State Department, the Office of Management and Budget will explain why a law that was passed by Congress a year ago has not been implemented. This law is environmentally sound. It is good for the taxpayers of this Nation. It solves a problem that has been with us for 50 years. What Mr. Ramirez wants to do is treat half the problem, do it more expensively and in an environmentally insensitive way. I do not understand that at all, and I am glad the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) agrees with me that he should explain this to Congress. So we will have this oversight hearing which is the role of Congress to have. It is about time the International Boundary and Water Commission followed the will of this Congress.

Mr. FILNER

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, December 31, 2001, will mark the passing of an era, an era of accomplishment in the field of intergovernmental relations. On that day, a pioneer in Washington representation for California public policy and project development will retire from service. Roger F. Honberger comes from a humble upbringing of enterprising parents from the 1930s. His mother is a Native American, born into the Pechanga Band of California Mission Indians at the turn of the century, and is presently the oldest living Tribal member. Roger was the first member of his family to graduate from college, the result of extensive sacrifice by his parents. After beginning his career in the field of Urban Planning, he returned to graduate school, where he distinguished himself and received degrees from both the University of London, England and Harvard University. In his early career, he served as a professional planner with the County of Riverside, City of San Diego, National Capital Planning Commission, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. His federal experience in writing legislation, budget preparation, and program management led him to the establishment of his own government relations consulting firm in 1970, Roger Honberger Associates, Inc. He pioneered a new industry of dedicated people working with the Congress and Federal Administrations on behalf of the intergovernmental needs of state and local governments. Today, this industry serves countless public agencies from all corners of the nation. Thirty years ago, Roger was selected from a field of 200 applicants by the County of San Diego to be their first Washington representative. At that time, the San Diego County Congressional Delegation consisted of Lionel Van Deertin, Bob Wilson, and Jimmy Utt. The only other state or local governments that had full time Washington offices when Roger began his work for San Diego County were the State of California, the County of Los Angeles, and the Cities of Los Angeles and San Diego. These were the only general-purpose governments from any other part of our great nation in those days that maintained a full time presence in Washington, D.C. In his thirty years of representing San Diego County, Roger directly served 27 different elected members of the County's five person Board of Supervisors, and 8 different Chief Administrative Officers. The number of Congressional Districts in the County grew from 3 to 5 during the same period, and he worked closely with all 16 different Members of Congress elected from these districts since 1970. Five different Presidents recognized Roger for his work on public issues. He has also been recognized as Alumnus of the Year by the California State Polytechnic University, as well as by his High School Alunmi Association from Perris, California. He is the only career County representative that the National Association of Counties has officially honored for professional accomplishments. He has had a truly remarkable career of public service. A broad array of regional accomplishments in the County have benefited from Roger's efforts in Washington, D.C. These include: the establishment of the region's first alcohol detoxification center; development of the first solid waste recycling program; a countywide gasoline vapor recovery program; harbor cleanup; welfare reform; a multitude of flood control and highway projects; San Diego Trolley project construction; Sheriffs Department funding; lagoon preservation; drug addiction treatment; children's disease inoculation services; foster care program support; air quality program certification; and the prevention of off-shore oil drilling, just to name a few. The list is long and impressive. Five years ago, Roger invited his long-standing associate, Thomas Walters, to become his partner, and the firm's name was changed to Honberger and Walters, Inc. For the past three years, Tom has been the firm's chief executive officer and owner. The firm continues to manage San Diego County's Washington office. Their other clients include the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board, North County Transit, San Diego Unified Port District, the Sweetwater Authority, the Counties of Riverside and Ventura, the Monterey-Salinas Transit District, the Calleguas Municipal Water District, and the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians. Roger has long been recognized as one of the leaders in his field and has lectured on intergovernmental relations and lobbying practice at San Diego State University, U.S. International University, University of Maryland, and the University of Arizona. He continues to be involved in a variety of American Indian issues and was one of the founders of the Harvard University Native American Alumni Association. Many of us in the Congress have worked with Roger Honberger during his distinguished career. We will miss his friendly disposition and his dedicated hard work on behalf of his public clients. Above all, we will miss his candor and honesty. His word has always been his bond, something we have all appreciated and have grown to expect, regardless of the circumstances. We are happy to see that his high professional standards and style are being continue by Tom Walters without missing a beat. For this we are grateful, and we are grateful for Roger's sustained friendship and support over the years. We wish him the very best as he moves on to other endeavors.

Mr. FILNER

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Chairman, reserving the right to object, I have an amendment on page 132 which I need to do before the gentleman moves on.

Mr. FILNER. My amendment, Mr. Chairman, refers to the southern border of the United States. We know the tragedies that had afflicted this country of September 11, especially on New York City; and arguments have been made on this floor very eloquently this afternoon about the need for help for New York City. The ripple effect of those attacks affected our whole Nation. And similar arguments can be made for other sectors of our country, other sectors of our economy. For example, the increased security that was called for after September 11 on our borders required what we call a level-one alert. Level-one alert means that every individual, every vehicle is going to be stopped, inspected, trunk opened up, questions asked, information entered into a computer, questions asked again. That process of level- one alert takes time. And what has occurred at the southern border is because of the time that is required for this increased security, which everybody supports and everybody wants, is that the waiting period for legal people to cross the border from Mexico into the United States has increased to an hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, sometimes 8 hours at a time. That waiting time for people to cross the border legally has devastated the economies of communities along the border. I represent San Diego, California, which has the busiest border crossing between any two countries in the world. But what I say today refers also to Calexico, California; to Nogales, Arizona; to El Paso, Texas; to Brownsville, Texas. The border economies have depended on that legal crosser for their business. Anywhere from 50 to 90 percent of economic activity has been cut since September 11. Now, nobody on the border wants terrorists to cross. Everybody supports the level-one security concerns. But what is needed if we are going to spend the time on level-one alert is to provide the resources to the Customs Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service to carry out these inspections. We have 24 crossing gates at the San Ysidro border-crossing in San Diego. Sometimes a couple of them are open, sometimes six or 12. Why not open them all? Why not open them all 24 hours a day? We could have both the level-one security and the quick time that is required to keep the flow moving. People who want to shop in San Diego or in Calexico or Nogales or in Brownsville or in El Paso do not cross the border because it takes too long. People cannot cross the border for their jobs. People cannot cross the border to go to school. Let us open all the lanes 24 hours a day. According to my discussions with the INS, the increased number of positions to do the level-one security and to keep the flow at a reasonable rate would cost about $20 million, $20 million. That seems like in the context of the discussions we have had today almost minuscule. We have talked about billions here and billions there. All I am saying is let us allocate within the budget, Mr. Chairman, allocate within that budget $20 million to inspectors to help us deal with the border crossings. We can have security. We can have the commercial flow that is absolutely necessary. Businesses along the border, these are mom and pop businesses. These are people who are having trouble keeping the mortgage going on their rents, who are having trouble keeping employees hired, having trouble meeting the utility payments. It is devastating the border communities, in fact, devastating much of the city of San Diego. Three billion dollars a year of our economy in San Diego comes from the legal shopper from Mexico. So let us keep terrorists out. Let us keep security high, but let us keep the flow necessary for commercial activity. Let us reallocate within the budget, Mr. Chairman, $20 million to make sure that the southern border is properly staffed. The bill has $165 million for the northern border. Let us put in 20 extra for the southern border. I do not think that is too much to ask.

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) refers to a rule which in the normal course of things is completely understandable. The gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) knows there are a hundred items in his bill that do not follow the rule that he just stated. He knows that a hundred items not authorized are appropriated in this bill. The gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) says he is empathetic with my arguments. It is an emergency. It is a disaster. Some of the same argument we heard from New York City on a lesser scale and on a lesser visibility are occurring on the southern border communities. All that we are saying is not asking for money to just reallocate; make sure it is reallocated to these deserving communities which are dying, and take into account we have a disaster. What I am asking is no different than a hundred other folks have asked in your bill. So let this one go and help the border communities survive.

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Chairman, yes, I do.

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time. Point of Order

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Chairman, all across this country, reservists have been called up to defend this Nation. They are doing this because they are patriotic Americans. They do it willingly, and our country is indebted to them. But these reservists face critical problems with their budgets back home. I have gotten letters, very emotional letters, from families, and I am sure every Member has, that say, for example, ``My husband is a U.S. Border Patrol agent and a reservist. On the evening of October 1, he was called to duty and ordered to report for active duty on the next day, October 2.'' She writes, ``I clearly understand this country is headed for very stressful, difficult and unpredictable times, and it is our duty to serve. But we have three children ages 1, 6 and 8, and our 6-year-old is autistic and has special needs. At this point, the country is not willing to provide me with enough money to meet his needs for the next 11 months. I cannot afford any out-of-pocket money to provide him any additional income.'' There are other letters from people who face losing their homes because they cannot keep up with the mortgage, they cannot keep their children in school because of the sudden reduction in their take-home pay. My amendment says that for Federal employees, this Nation ought to make up the difference between their pay as a reservist and their pay in their normal job. This is absolutely critical to the budgets of people all across this country. And not only will it prevent those families from themselves becoming victims of the terrorist attack but will certainly improve the morale of all of our fighting forces. Now, many of my colleagues know that municipalities across this country, and States, many private corporations, make up the difference between the pay they had before they went on call and the pay they receive while on duty at the present time. But the Federal Government does not. My amendment says let us make up the difference between regular Federal pay and the Reserve and Guard pay. If their active duty lasts for a length of time that would normally preclude their continuation in the Federal health plan, my amendment would allow these Guard and Reserve members to continue paying their portion of Federal health care rather than moving their families to the Tricare military family health care system. This is the least we can do for Guard and reservists who have unselfishly committed themselves to serving our country at a moment's notice. Their service makes our military function smoothly. But the Federal Government ought to do for our reservists and Guard members what other employers across this country are doing, continuing their regular pay. I ask Members' support for this amendment. Let me read from another constituent of mine in support of this amendment: ``In civilian employment my husband is a Federal agent in the United States Border Patrol. Due to his full-time military activation, we will be receiving a substantial loss in income, 50 percent reduction, in fact. It will be extremely difficult for our family to continue to pay our existing bills. As per the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act, I have requested our creditors to lower their interest rates no more than 6 percent. My husband and I have worked very hard to this point in our lives. We are home owners with a very large mortgage payment. Our current interest rate is 7.75 percent.''

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Chairman, can the Chair explain the point of order? I would like to respond to it.

Mr. FILNER. I do, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Chairman, I understand the point of order and I understand the technicality. We are in emergency, Mr. Chairman. These issues come to us very quickly. When my constituents were called up a few weeks ago, I do not have time to go through our normal processes. The gentleman knows that there are dozens of things in this bill that legislate on the appropriations bill. Let us not use a technicality to say to our reservists that they cannot keep their families in their homes, keep their kids in schools, keep their kids getting medical attention. I would say to the gentleman this is an emergency, let us not go on a technicality. I would hope that we would respect the fighting forces, the fighting capability of our Reserve units and accept this amendment.

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Chairman, I appeal the ruling of the Chair given the fact that we have an emergency situation here and my constituents are in a disastrous situation. I would challenge the ruling of the Chair.

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote, and pending that, I make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. FILNER. I understand, but I wanted to be sure I could offer the amendment on page 132 under the gentleman's unanimous consent request. Mr. Chairman, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. FILNER

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, and colleagues, I rise today to recognize and honor Guillermo A. Gomez, a sixth-grade bilingual teacher at Vista Square Elementary School in Chula Vista, California. Mr. Gomez was nominated by the California Teachers Association (CTA) for the prestigious National Education Association Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence. He was the only California teacher, chosen from a pool of more than 300,000 educators, to represent our state of California. Although he was not the final winner, his nomination is a glowing tribute to his service to our children. CTA President Wayne Johnson's nomination letter includes the following information about Mr. Gomez and his achievements: ``CTA conducted a search for nominees for this prestigious award. Many excellent California teachers were nominated, but Mr. Gomez stood head and shoulders above the rest. Not only is he an excellent teacher, but he is also an inspiring one. He created an after-school program called Circle of Little Brothers and Circle of Little Sisters, where he helps upper-elementary students explore possibilities for their futures. He coordinates an after-school homework center and takes the lead in training staff on English language development standards. Becoming concerned that there were few males, especially of Latino descent, who were involved in a school with many Latino children, Mr. Gomez, along with another teacher, created a group called ``Mi Papa'' in the community resource center. This program helps bring fathers into the school community as role models and pairs them with children in educational and art activities. Despite the fact that he has been a teacher for only six years, Mr. Gomez is active in his local CTA chapter, Chula Vista Educators. He serves on many communities and, as an association representative, he kept teachers in his school informed and focused during recent negotiations with the school district. He is also the chair of the political action committee for his local association. In short, CTA believes that Mr. Gomez exemplifies all the qualities that are present in the best teachers: dedication, caring, innovation and creativity, and teaching excellence.'' Both Marilyn Prall, Principal, and Martha Deichler, Associate Principal of his school, who was Mr. Gomez' mentor, attest to his efforts to grow professionally and to become the best teacher possible--asking for advice, taking suggestions, and making them work in his own classroom. They believe that his passion for teaching has enabled him to become the excellent teacher he is today. Mr. Gomez also works outside the classroom walls with the families of his students. He believes that only as an active social agent in the community can a teacher provide opportunities for students to advance in this competitive society. He participates in literacy nights, harvest carnivals, job-a-thons, and fundraising activities, such as car washes and haunted houses, to make sure that all of his students can go to sixth grade camp. In his ``spare time'', he also coaches soccer! Mr. Gomez' public service goes beyond his local community. He and his students are often involved in charitable activities to help victims of natural disasters thousands of miles away. He is compassionate and appreciative of all people and cultures. His students know that he cares deeply about them and their families, and they return year after year to visit Mr. Gomez after their elementary school graduation. Mr. Gomez is a graduate of San Diego State University (SDSU) and holds a Bilingual Cross-Cultural Language Academic Development multiple subject credential. He will receive his Master's Degree in Latin American studies from SDSU this coming summer. In addition, he regularly attends Saturday workshops, after-school in servicing training, and district workshops. He reads professionally and implements in his classroom the methods and ideas supported by current research. Mr. Gomez knows the abilities of each and every one of his students and works to help each child achieve his or her full potential. He is proud to be a teacher, and I am proud that he is a teacher in my Congressional District. He will be honored by the National Education Association Foundation for the Improvement of Education in Washington, DC on December 6, 2001. A sincere thank you, Mr. Gomez, for your dedication to our young people, the future of our nation.

Mr. FILNER

Mr. FILNER. Mr Speaker and colleagues, I express my strong support for H.R. 3240, the Reservists Education Protection Act of 2001. We are facing a situation in which many of the men and women, currently pursuing their education with VA educational benefits, may need to leave school before the academic term is completed when they are called to serve in the war against terrorism. As many as 8,000 to 10,000 of the reservists, now being called up, will have no reinstatement of their educational benefits for classes that were interrupted. This legislation will restore their entitlement for benefits and allow them to complete their education which has been interrupted by our fight against terrorism. We are in a new type of war, one which seeks to deter those who seemingly have no moral compass and who are willing to kill innocent civilians in great numbers. Now, more than ever, we need to support our brave soldiers who are putting their lives on hold to protect our nation, and indeed, to protect the world. As a co-sponsor of this bill, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3240!

Mr. FILNER

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 437, I was in my Congressional District on official business. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. FILNER

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 436, I was in my Congressional District on official business. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. FILNER

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Mollohan) for yielding the time, and I thank the chairman of the committee and the ranking member for their commitment to our Nation's veterans. They have had significant increases in this budget in the last 2 years and they have worked very hard. Given the constraints, they have had to do the best in this year. Let us put this in context as we are about to adjourn for our Veterans' Day. This budget appropriates barely sufficient funds for the VA to keep up with inflation, barely sufficient funds. At a time when we are all going to go out on next Sunday and Monday to say how much we support our veterans, we are falling behind in our commitment. This budget is $2 billion below what the veterans groups have come together to try to argue for in their independent budget. This budget is below what both the House and the Senate have in their resolutions, this at a time when we are producing more veterans as they defend our country in this war against terrorism, and this comes at a time when the VA has already informed its field people that they are going to fall $800 million behind in this budget and they better prepare for that. The VA is being called to help with emergency efforts at a time of potential casualties in this Nation. Not only do they not have sufficient resources, not only are they falling behind, but they are called upon to do new things in this war against terrorism. So what occurs is backlogs for disability adjudications are building at the rate of 10,000 a week, 10,000 a week. Appointments have to be made 6, 8, 9, 10 months in advance that our veterans have to wait for. This is not a way to give a signal to those who are fighting in Afghanistan that we are going to treat them right when they come home. This budget is disappointing. We should not vote for it, and we should put this in context. When people tell me we do not have the resources, this House just passed a $25 billion subsidy for retroactive tax increases for the biggest corporations in America, $25 billion dollar. A check for $2 billion was given to IBM, and we do not have money for our Nation's veterans. We cannot do anything about Persian Gulf War illness and our veterans are homeless on the street. I am going to vote no on this budget because on November 11 this is not a way to honor our veterans.