Senate Proceeding 11-10-09 on Nov 10th, 2009 :: 0:05:50 to 0:21:20
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0:05:46 to 0:06:06( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: mr floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator fr mr. aka: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be set aside. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. mr. akaka: mr. president, i call up amendment number 2740 and fo its consideration.

0:05:50 to 0:21:20( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Patty Murray

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Patty Murray: the presiding officer: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: the senator from hawaii, mr. aka, proposes an amendment numbered 2740. mr. aka: mr. president, i yield the mrs. murray: the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: thank you, mr. presiden mr. president, today and this week, thousands of families

0:06:28 to 0:06:49( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: across our country are stopping to honor the memory of those who have served for us because of veterans day tomorrow and to thank them for all they have done to protect and defend our country. it's a time when many american families are watching what is unfolding in fort hood this week. it's a time in my home state

0:06:50 to 0:07:15( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: where today we are having a memorial service at fort lewis honoring seven soldiers who lost their lives a few days ago in afghanistan. our hearts and condolences go out to those families who have suffered the ultimate loss, and especially at this time when everyone is recognizing the tremendous sacrifice that so

0:07:17 to 0:07:39( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: many people have given for our country. as a senator from a state with a very large military presence and communities that are heavily populated with the men and women who dedicate their thrives protecting our country, i have to say i was particularly saddened by the senseless violence that ripped through our nation's largest active-duty base last thursday. as anyone who's ever spent time on a u.s. military base knows

0:07:40 to 0:08:02( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: well, those are some of our most safest and most compassionate communities in our entire country. they are places where a young family plants roots and raises a child and established a life for themselves. they're a place where military spouses form bonds that they carry with them throughout their deployments. and they are a place where neighbors always lend a hand to

0:08:03 to 0:08:24( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: those in needment i've seen that firsthand at places like fort lewis army base in tacoma and fairchild air force base in spokane, and i know that the pain of the loss of those 13 public service -- servants extends to everyone at fort hood and to the u.s. military community as a whole. i want to make a special mention

0:08:25 to 0:08:45( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: today of michael grant cahill, who came from spokane, washington. he was the lone civilian that was killed in that attack last week. he was a physician's assistant who worked in rural clinics and veterans our veterans desperately need care and we desperately need workers. at the time of his death, he was

0:08:46 to 0:09:07( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: just four years from retirement. in an interview with the "spokesman review newspaper" st a day after her father was killed, cahill's daughter keely told the paper that her dad wa was -- and i quote -- "a wonderful person. he loved his job and he loved working with people and helping them with their physical needs."

0:09:08 to 0:09:29( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: my thoughts and prayers are with keely and the family members of all those who have died or were wounded and the u.s. military family who are still reeling from this tragedy. and to the families who have lost soldiers in iraq and afghanistan recently, especially those who are having military servic today in my home state at fort lewis, as well as the many, many others, i want them

0:09:30 to 0:09:50( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: all to know that we know we are their voice and we need to stand up for them. mr. president, as we all know, veterans day, tomorrow, is a day that we celebrate and honor the great sacrifices all of our veterans have made. it's because of their sacrifice that we, all ofs, can safely enjoy the freedoms that our country offers.

0:09:51 to 0:10:14( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: it is because of their unmatched commitment that america can remain a beacon for democracy and freedom throughout the world. you know, growing up, i saw firsthand the many ways that military service can affect both veterans and their families. my father served in world war ii. he was among the first soldiers to land in observin okinawa. he came home as a disabled

0:10:15 to 0:10:35( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: veteran and's of warded the purpose -- and he was awarded the purple heart. like many soldiers of my dad's generation, he didn't talk about his experiences during the war. and, in fact, we only learned about what he did and his heroism when he passed away and we found his journals and read them. i think that experience offers a larger lesson about veterans in general.

0:10:36 to 0:10:58( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: they are very reluctant to call attention to their service and they're reluctant to ask for help. that's why we have got to publicly recognize their sacrifices and contributions. it's up to all of us to make sure that they get the recognition they have earned. and, by the way, not just on veterans day. our veterans held up their end of the deal.

0:10:59 to 0:11:21( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: we've got to hold up ours. so veterans day must not only be a day of remembrance, it must also be a day of reflection. it's a chance for all of us to reflect on our own responsibilities to our nation's veterans. it's a chance to look at what we can do to make sure we're keeping the promise we made to our men and women when they sign up to serve.

0:11:22 to 0:11:43( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: it's a chance to take stock of where care and benefits have fallen short, where new needs are emerging, and how we can ma it easier for veterans to get the care and benefits they deserve. so it is very appropriate that on the eve of this very important day, veterans day, we are working to pass a bl here that takes a hard look at many

0:11:44 to 0:12:04( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: of the challenges facing our veterans and their families. it is a bill that is the product of collaboration with veterans, with their families, with caregivers and scores of veterans service organizations. mr. president, as a member of the veterans' affairs committee, i am very aware that we have a

0:12:05 to 0:12:25( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: lot of work to do for the men and women who served our country. not only must we continually strive to keep up our commitment to veterans from all wars, but we have for also respond to the new and different issues facing veterans who are returning from iraq and afghanistan, wars that are being fought under conditions that are very

0:12:26 to 0:12:46( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: different from those of the past. and that is precisely what the caregiver and veterans omnibus health bill seeks to do. mr. president, one of the changes that we have seen in our veterans population recently is the growing number of women veterans who are seeking care at the v.a.

0:12:47 to 0:13:07( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: today, more women are serving in our military than ever before, and over the next five years, the amount of women seeking care at the v.a. is expected to double. and not only are women answering the call to serve a unprecedented levels, they're also often serving in a very different capacity.

0:13:08 to 0:13:29( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: in iraq and in afghanistan, we have seen wars that don't have traditional frontlines. so our service members, including on the frontlines. so whether it's working at checkpoints or helping to search and clear neighborhood, or supporting the supply convoys, women service members face many

0:13:30 to 0:13:51( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: of the same risks from i.e.d.'s and ambushes as their male counterparts. but while the nature of their service has changed in these conflict, the v.a. has been very slow to change the nature of the care they provide when these women return hom today at the v.a., there is an insufficient number of doctors

0:13:52 to 0:14:14( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: and staff with specific traing and experience in women's health issues, and even the v.a.'s own internal studies have shown that women veterans are underserved. that's why we included in the veterans health bill a bill that i have introduced and worked on that will enable the v.a. to better understand and ultimately

0:14:15 to 0:14:35( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: the unique needs of female veterans. the bill authorizes a number of new programs and studies, including a comprehensive look at the barriers that women currently face when they try to get care at the v.a. it includes a that have served in iraq and afghanistan to assess how those

0:14:36 to 0:14:56( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: conflicts affected their health. it includes a requirement that the v.a. implement a program to train and educate and certify v. mental health professionals to care for women with sexual trauma, and a pilot program tt provides child care to women veterans that seek mental health care services at t v.a.,

0:14:57 to 0:15:18( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: because, mr. president, as we know, women will choose to take care of their kids before they take care of themselves. we need to provide that child care, i believe, so that those women get the care that they need. mr. president, this bill that i'm talking about is the result of many, many discussions with women veterans on the unique and very personal problems they face

0:15:19 to 0:15:39( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: when they return home from war. oftentimeshen i hold veterans meetings in my state, the men who are there speak up and talk to me about some of the they face, and it isn't until the meeting closes and everybody is going out the door that the women come up to me and speak solicitlsilently and as quietly as they

0:15:40 to 0:16:00( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: can in my ear about the barriers that they face. some of these women have told me that they didn't even view themselves as a veteran and, therefore, didn't even think of seeking care at a v.a. oftentimes they've told me that they lack privacy at their local v.a. or they felt intimidated when they walked in the doors. they've told me about being

0:16:01 to 0:16:22( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: forced into a caregiving role that prevented them from even asking for care because they had to struggle to find a baby sitter in order to keep an appointment. mr. president, they shouldn't have to speak quietly into my ear at the end of a meeting. they've served our country honor blivment we should move this women's health bill get the care they support.

0:16:23 to 0:16:43( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: to me and to the bipartisan group of senators who cosponsored the women's veterans bill, these barriers that they face to care are unacceptable. so as we now have more women transitioning back home and stepping back into their careers and their lives as mothers and wives, this v.a. has to be there for them.

0:16:44 to 0:17:04( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: so the bill in the omnibus bill in front of us will help the v.a. to modernize and meet those needs. mr. president, another way that this bill meets the changing needs of our veterans is in the area of assisting caregivers in the home. you know, as we have seen in iraq and afghanistan, medical

0:17:05 to 0:17:25( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: devices that have helped save the lives of many of members who in previous conflicts would have perished from the severity of their wounds, but these medical miracles mean that many of those who he been catastrophically wounded now need round-the-clock care when they come home. in many of our rural areas where access to medical care is very

0:17:26 to 0:17:46( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: limited, the burden of prying that care often -- of providing that care often falls o that severely wounded veteran. for those family members who are providing care to their loved ones it now becomes a full-time job for them. they often, i've been told, have to quit their jobs forfeiting not only their source of income

0:17:47 to 0:18:07( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: but also their health care insurance. it is a sacrifice that is far too great, especially for families that have already sacrificed so much. so this underlying omnibus bill that we are trying to bring forward provides caregivers with health care and counseling and support and, importantly, a stipend so that they can take care of their loved one when they come home.

0:18:08 to 0:18:30( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: mr. president, the bill also takes steps to provide dental insurance to veterans and survivors and their dependents. it improves mental health care services and eases the transition from active duty to civilian life. it expands outreach technology so we can provide better care for veterans in our rural areas.

0:18:31 to 0:18:51( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: and it initiates three programs to address homelessness among vernth veterans whicveterans which is especially troubling. this is a bill that's supported by numerous organizations, supported by the v.a. and many leading medical groups. it was passed in our senate vernths affairs committee with broad -- veterans' affairs

0:18:52 to 0:19:15( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: committee with broad, bipartisan support after hearings with health care experts and v.a. veterans and importantly their families. like other health care bil before it, bills that have often been passed on this floor with overwhelming support, veterans before politics. it is a bipartisan bill designed

0:19:16 to 0:19:36( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: to move swiftly, so its programs can be implemented swiftly. it is a bipartisan bill designed to make sure that our veterans do not become political pawns. and yet here we are today facing delays. mr. president, the fact that this bill is now being held hostage by ideology is both a disservice to our veterans and a

0:19:37 to 0:19:57( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: troubling precedent for our efforts to meet their needs. this used to be an aa where political affiliation fell by the wayside. but today, because of an effort to score political points on issues that are far removed from the struggles of families who are delivering care for their loved ones with injuries or

0:19:58 to 0:20:19( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: women veterans who are returning home to an unprepared v.a. or to the mounting toll of this economy on homeless veterans, we're faced with delay here on the floor. for our nation's veterans, it's a delay they can't afford. mr. president, our aging veterans and the brave men and women who are currently serving in iraq and afghanistan need our

0:20:20 to 0:20:40( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: help now, and how we treat them at this critical time will send a signal to a generation of young people who might now be sitting at home considering whether they want to go into the military. mr. president, it is imperative that we keep our promise to our veterans, the same promise that abraham lincoln made to

0:20:41 to 0:21:01( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: america's veterans 140 years ago: to care for the veteran who has borne the battle, his widow, and his orphan. our enough for many of the improvemen in this bill. we should not ask them to wait any longer. so i urge our colleagues to withdraw -- so i urge our colleague to withdraw his

0:21:02 to 0:21:20( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: objection to the consideration of this bill and let us move it quickly through the senate so the families and the service members who are waiting for its passage, whether it is a family who's taking care of a veteran who's been seriouslynjured or a woman veteran or anyone who's served our country, can know that w