mr. chairman , i want to congratulate you on this budget .  i think the american people are smart enough to recognize truth and demagoguery .  that is what you hear on this house floor is demagoguery , and that is completely unfortunate .  i believe that ensuring that the disabled , the injured , the low-income and special needs veterans are given the highest attention .  that is the priority of our nation .  in establishing priorities of care for veterans health care , this congress also believes that the same military values that guided servicemembers on active duty should define how services and assistance are provided to them as veterans .  it is why we established the priorities of care , one , two , three , four , five , six , seven , eight .  this budget takes into consideration the present budgetary constraints , the aging veteran population , as well as the influx of veterans into the system as the nation continues to fight the war on terror throughout the world .  as chairman of the committee on veterans ' affairs , i seek an increase in $ 12.6 million for the medical and prosthetic research projects above the president 's budget request .  we also increased by $ 293 million for state nursing home partnership .  we increase about $ 300 million discretionary funding for veterans health care , despite the demagoguery you will hear from some members on this floor .  to ensure that our national cemeteries are maintained as the shrines that they are , my subcommittee chairman , the gentleman from florida ( mr. miller )  , and i recommended an additional $ 45.6 million in construction to begin a 5-year $ 300 million national shrine commitment project to repair and restore the existing national cemeteries .  but while our greatest attention should be focused on those who have served us and can no longer fend for themselves , there is another group of veterans that needs our help : our soldiers , sailors , airmen and marines who need assistance in returning to the workforce or entering the workforce for the first time after serving their country .  this budget will also ensure that the va benefits take care of the young solder coming home , as well as the older soldier who may already have a family .  we need to make sure that the va is flexible and personal in its delivery of health care and benefits , such as training and education .  this is a wise investment , harnessing the same spirit and drive that has won our nation 's battles , to contribute to our nation 's workforce and to sustain our national competitive edge .  to facilitate this investment , i created a new subcommittee solely devoted to this effort chaired by the gentleman from arkansas ( mr. boozman )  .  the gentleman from iowa ( mr. nussle )  , as chairman of the committee on the budget , has done an outstanding job .  he has led congress through some challenging budgetary times as chairman .  some may forget the meaning of the attacks upon our country on september 11 .  it was an attack upon our freedom , upon our way of life .  it was devastating to our economy .  that economic growth has returned , but we also now need to manage that economic growth smartly .  there is a lot of rhetoric , but let me return to some facts .  under this president , spending for veterans has increased by 47 percent in 5 years versus 32 percent in the 8 years under the clinton administration .  if i turn to the chart to my left , as the chart shows , over the last 7 years discretionary spending has grown 39.5 percent under the va-hud appropriations bill .  that is a 4.9 percent average increase for every year from 1998 all the way to present .  so despite all the rhetoric that america and my colleagues will hear , the reality is this chart .  the spending on veterans continues to increase , maintaining our commitment to veterans in america .  i also would like to turn to a second chart i think is very interesting .  on this chart it shows what happened under the democrat control of congress .  congressional spending per veteran was flat .  for 10 years a meager $ 400 increase for 10 years from 1984 to 1994 .  can everybody see this ?  it was flat .  to my colleagues on this side of the aisle , do you see this ?  it was flat for 10 years .  you did not hear demagoguery on the house floor .  what you had at the time were individuals on both sides of the aisle working together in a bipartisan fashion with regard to how we deal with veterans .  so what we have under the republican control the last 10 years is from 1995 to 2005 congress increased spending by $ 1 , 400 per veteran , that is from $ 1 , 368 to $ 2 , 773 per veteran .  i think this chart is very clear .  what has occurred under democrat control is flat-lined budget for veterans .  i am not going to demagogue .  it is just a reality .  now with regard to what has happened under republican control , the increase and the maintaining of our commitment to veterans programs and causes across the board .  this is the reality .  i want to say to the budget chairman , i want to thank him .  he has given me a task , and the task is that with regard to all of these programs in discretionary and mandatory , are there savings out there ?  are these systems being run smartly and effectively and efficiently ?  he has challenged those of us who serve on the committee on veterans ' affairs .  and you know what ?  we will accept the challenge , and we will go and work together in a bipartisan fashion and see if we can find those savings .  he has not dictated to us .  he has challenged us and we accept the challenge .  