mr. chairman , i found the rhetoric on the budget particularly interesting over the course of a wide variety of issues . 
one near and dear to my heart is the issue of veterans care . 
i can speak to this issue with a great deal of authority that very few of my colleagues in this body can as a member of the american legion , a member of the 82nd airborne division association , a member of the army ranger association and a member of the association of graduates of the united states military academy . 
being both a former enlisted solider and an officer who served here and abroad , i am concerned that we keep our commitment to our veterans , those who have laid their lives on the line and in many cases borne a great price to pay for the freedoms that we have here to have this dialogue . 
unfortunately , there is a tremendous amount of misinformation that is going around the public right now , i found this unfortunately being passed out to veterans in my own district , that completely disregards the facts in favor of what i would consider a shameless play at political power . 
the facts speak to themselves . 
as a former numbers person , i would like to point out that in the chart that we referenced , that spending per veteran has increased dramatically . 
indeed , total veterans spending in the 2006 budget is $ 68.9 billion . 
there are considerable monthly payments for veterans , and the budget provides $ 31.7 billion , an increase of $ 877 million , for veterans ' medical care and other discretionary spending . 
these increases in this budget carry on a commitment to our nation 's veterans that , over the past 11 years , has been reflected in veterans spending since 1995 when republicans took control of congress . 
we can see that the rhetoric from the past is hollow from when there was a democratic majority in this body and also a democratic administration . 
what we have seen since republicans took control of the house is a steady increase , particularly after president bush was elected , in making sure that our veterans ' needs were cared for . 
spending for veterans ' medical care has increased 85 percent , from $ 16.2 billion to $ 29.9 billion . 
indeed , the number of veterans receiving care has increased from 2.5 million veterans to 4.8 million , a 92 percent increase . 
the facts speak for themselves . 
and , again , the shameless rhetoric is hollow . 
education benefits , under the montgomery gi bill , have more than doubled during this same period and total per veteran spending has increased by nearly 103 percent . 
i respect our national leadership . 
i respect the leadership of our party , the leadership in this congress who has led the way , not with hollow words , but with straightforward actions to take care of the veterans in this united states who i am proud to represent . 
since we took control of congress in 1995 , we have made tremendous strides in improving benefits for our nation 's 25 million veterans , and we will continue to do that into the future with new strides in technology , reaching out to cover those who have legitimate needs who have served our country and served in harm 's way . 
moreover , the republican congress has expanded eligibility for medical care in 1996 and 1999 . 
that has increased the number significantly . 
in the end , this budget provides significant relief for veterans who have served . 
i am proud to support it . 
i stand with our leadership ; i stand with the veterans in this congress who are rightfully supporting this budget . 
