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Last Thursday, the Senate passed an emergency spending measure that funds American military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and other emergency priorities. This bill, which I supported, contained nearly $100 billion for equipment and training for men and women in our armed services. This funding is necessary and I hope it gets to our troops on the ground as soon as possible.
The bill has also been criticized as "pork" for containing about $22 billion for other emergency needs. In reality, these funds are provided for important priorities like emergency agriculture disaster assistance and veterans health care.
Specifically, non-military funding in the bill includes more than $4 billion in agriculture disaster assistance - assistance I've been pushing for years, which is vitally necessary, but was blocked last fall by congressional leaders. Our agriculture producers have been suffering under a multi-year drought. They need this funding to continue operations this year, especially in the Panhandle and Southwest portions of the state which are anticipating drought conditions again this year.
It also includes funding for State Children Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP) that many states need to continue to maintain their programs this year. Without such funding, children across America could lose their health insurance. And it includes funds to prepare for the wildfire season and continue the reconstruction of areas torn apart by Hurricane Katrina.
Critically, this legislation also contains nearly $1.85 billion for veterans health care needs. The Administration asked for no additional funding for veterans health care in this supplemental, despite concerns about conditions at veterans' facilities and an influx of injured service personnel returning from Iraq. Among the needs Congress funded:
$50 million for establishment of new polytrauma facilities; $10 million for blind rehabilitation services; $100 million for enhancements to mental health services; $200 million for treatment of Operation Enduring Freedom 21 and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans; $45 million for facility and equipment upgrades at the Department of Veterans Affairs polytrauma rehabilitation centers and the polytrauma network sites; $46 million for General Operating Expenses to improve efficiency in paying benefits; and $20 million for technology support and improvements for processing of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans benefits claims.
Additionally, the bill contains $20 million not requested by the Administration to repair facilities at Walter Reed.
American troops are suffering casualties every day, ranging from minor injuries, to loss of limbs, to traumatic brain injuries. Each of these conditions will require medical attention and many will require months, if not years, of follow-up rehabilitation and care. It is absolutely essential that we have systems in place to care for these men and women and to ensure they get the treatment and benefits they deserve.
This bill, as emergency supplemental spending measures should, responds to critical needs both abroad and at home. Congress has a responsibility to provide for our troops in battle and to respond to emergencies at home.
Threats of a veto of the supplemental have been issued. Some say that the veto will endanger U.S troops. The Congressional Research Service recently estimated that our military has enough funding to support operations until July 2007.
Instead of issuing veto threats I'd rather the Administration work with Congress to meet our nation's needs. Rhetoric will not help those serving in Iraq, nor those recuperating here at home. And partisan fighting will not assist agriculture producers suffering because of drought, children who risk losing health insurance, or families that lost everything in Hurricane Katrina.
Working on a bipartisan basis, we can meet the challenges facing our nation. That is what I have always done, and what I will continue to do as the Congress weighs the needs and interests of the Nation.
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