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 .  