- President Bush spent the Memorial Day weekend thanking
the nation's veterans for their service, saying "we acknowledge the
debt [we owe them] by showing our respect and gratitude."[1] Yet,
his rhetoric came just hours after the Bush Administration announced new
plans to slash veterans health care funding if it returns to power in 2005.
-
- Late last week, the Administration released a memo detailing
a plan to cut $1 billion from the Veterans Administration[2] in the first
budget of its second term. The cut would come even after the White House
has tried to close veterans hospitals throughout the country,[3] and has
proposed veterans health care budgets that have been criticized by veterans
groups and the President's own Veterans Affairs secretary.[4] It also comes
after the president decided to cut off 164,000 veterans from their existing
prescription drug coverage,[5] and threatened to veto[6] any bill that
would allow veterans to receive both the military pension they were promised,
and any disability compensation to which they are entitled.
-
- Sources:
- 1. Presidential Weekly Radio Address Speech,
- WhiteHouse.gov, 05/29/04.
- http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/05/20040529.html
- 2. "Democrats rip Bush's outline for cuts in domestic
- programs," Palm Beach Post, 5/28/04.
- http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/auto/epaper/editions/
today/news_046b8a51b0d3412100f5.html
- 3. "VA Seeks Major Hospital Overhaul," CBS
News,
- 8/05/03.
- http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/08/05/health/main566686.shtml
- 4. "President Bush's Veterans' Budget Called Woefully
- Inadequate and Inexcusable," Senate Democratic Policy
- Committee, 2/12/04.
- http://democrats.senate.gov/dpc/dpc-doc.cfm?doc_name=fs-108-2-39
- 5. "VA Cuts Some Veterans' Access to Health Care,"
- Washington Post, 1/17/03.
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A4064-2003Jan16
- 6. "Bush Threatens Veto of Defense Bill," Washington
- Post, 10/7/02, p.A02.
-
- http://www.misleader.org/daily_mislead/Read.asp?fn=df06012004.html
- http://messenger.yahoo.com/
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