Act Now To Protect Veterans Health Care!
Thursday September 8, 2005
On September 15th, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee will vote on S. 1182, which includes a proposal (Section 7) that will put 36,000 VA jobs at risk by diverting money from veterans’ health care to pay for contracting out studies. The proposal will pad the pockets of contracting out consultants at the expense of America’s veterans who aren’t getting the health care they were promised because the money isn’t there. Moreover, good jobs will be destroyed – many of which are held by veterans. Section 7 must be removed from the VA Authorization bill!
Take Action Now:
- Email Your Senators Now! If you email info on this issue to a friend or coworker, please make sure you use their home email address.
- Fax Your Senators Now! If you email info on this issue to a friend or coworker, please make sure you use their home email address.
- Call your Senators Today! You can use your personal cell phone on your own time but do not use government equipment or make your call on duty time.
Background: Under current law, the VA is prevented from taking money from veterans' medical care and using it to conduct privatization reviews unless Congress appropriates money specifically for that purpose. AFGE has successfully worked in past years with bipartisan majorities in Congress to prevent such an appropriation from being made. But Senator Larry Craig (R-ID), Chair of the Senate VA Committee, has included a provision in S.1182 called “Section 7” that repeals the requirement that money must be specifically appropriated for privatization reviews. Fortunately, Senator Akaka (D-HI) has agreed to offer an amendment that will remove Section 7.
The Committee is scheduled to write (“mark-up”) their final bill next week – on Thursday September 15th. Seven Committee members of the Committee, including a Republican and Independent, have told AFGE that they oppose Section 7 and will support the Akaka Amendment (indicated by “+” next to their name.) We need one more vote for victory.
Roster of Senate Veterans Affairs Committee:
Republicans
Craig (ID), Chair
Specter (PA)+
Hutchison (TX)
Graham (SC)
Burr (NC)
Ensign (NV)
Thune (SD)
Isakson (GA)
Democrats
Akaka (HI)+
Rockefeller (WV)+
Murray (WA)+
Obama (IL)+
Salazar (CO)+
Independent
Jeffords (VT)+
If your Senators aren’t on the Committee they still need to hear from us for two reasons. First, before the markup, they can tell Senator Craig that they want Section 7 taken out of the bill. Second, if the contracting out language stays in the bill and Committee approves it on September 15th, then we will have to take our fight to the full Senate. That will be our last chance to have this language struck from the bill or stop the entire bill from moving forward.
Take Action Now:
- Email Your Senators Now! If you email info on this issue to a friend or coworker, please make sure you use their home email address.
- Fax Your Senators Now! If you email info on this issue to a friend or coworker, please make sure you use their home email address.
- Call your Senators Today! You can use your personal cell phone on your own time but do not use government equipment or make your call on duty time.
