mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman for yielding me time . 
mr. chairman , this budget values the service of our veterans . 
it not only values their service , but it meets the needs of our country , a strong defense , a growing economy , while we also reduce our deficit . 
i would like to talk about where veterans spending has gone over the last 10 years for just a moment . 
as you can see from this chart , this is the overall spending on veterans programs over that period of time , from 1995 to 2005 . 
we talk about veterans health care , perhaps we could bring that chart up , that has increased from about $ 16.2 billion to $ 29.9 billion . 
that is substantial progress in honoring the commitment of our nation 's veterans . 
we have done a number of other things for veterans over the last several years , and perhaps if i could have the last chart . 
we have allowed guard and reservists to qualify for medical benefits ; we have increased the gi education benefit over those years ; we have opened up the va system for all veterans to participate in and have funded it enough so that at least priorities 1 through 7 are able to participate in that ; and we have gone from 2.5 million veterans served under the va to 4.8 million . 
we have increased survivor benefits . 
we finally dealt with the whole issue of concurrent receipts , so that a disabled veteran is able to collect either his or her disability benefit , as well as their retirement benefit . 
we have reduced the wait times to get into the va hospitals , and the va has maintained its excellent care . 
let me talk about this budget , because under the leadership of the gentleman from iowa ( chairman nussle ) , we started at the president 's mark , which was about $ 30.8 billion for veterans health care , and the chairman 's mark increased that to $ 31.5 billion . 
working with the chairman , i introduced an amendment that raised that by $ 229 million . 
so as a result of the hard work of the veterans and the committee on the budget , we have increased from the president 's baseline by $ 877 million , which in these difficult fiscal times is a 2.8 percent increase . 
further under the leadership of the chairman , we have reduced the reconciliation number to a number i believe is very manageable . 
if you recall , the president assumed copayments on drugs and an enrollment fee . 
but the chairman 's mark , because it is so much lower , going from $ 424 million to $ 155 million , i believe working together in the committee on veterans ' affairs with the committee on the budget that we can in fact look for waste , fraud , and abuse and eliminate those types of things , without having to have an enrollment fee , without having to have drug copayments . 
let me repeat that . 
the chairman 's budget does not assume either enrollment fees or those drug copayment fees . 
i look forward to working to make sure that we honor our commitment to our nation 's veterans . 
this is an excellent budget . 
it maintains a strong defense ; it allows our economy to grow ; and it meets critical needs for those who have defended our liberties , our nation 's veterans . 
