Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, Veterans Day is approaching on Wednesday, and as the Presiding Officer knows, this is a very important day across the country. It is certainly an important day in my State of Alaska. Alaska has a statistic--I certainly like to talk about it a lot in hearings and on the Senate floor--of having the highest number of veterans per capita than any other State in the United States. It is truly an honor to be serving a State that has so many veterans who have served our country, and we look at Veterans Day as a very important and very somber day.

We are also home to thousands of active duty military members and reservists--in large part because of our strategic location in Alaska.

I was home, like a lot of Members of the Senate, this past weekend, and in Alaska we are already beginning to celebrate Veterans Day in churches, community halls, private homes, and parades. This weekend I had the honor of attending a few of these events. I went to a parade in Anchorage and a wonderful church service yesterday. It is so moving to see and hear from all of our veterans. Again, I had the opportunity to do that this weekend. I met with World War II veterans--the ``greatest generation''--Korean War, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Cold War veterans.

I went to a number of these events and an issue came up--an issue that I think is important for this body to know about since our constituents are asking about it: What the heck is going on in Washington, DC, where Senators are filibustering the funding of our troops? What is going on? It is a good question. It confirms something that I think a lot of us sometimes forget. We look at the procedural maneuvers here on the Senate floor--filibusters, blocking funding for our troops--and sometimes we think that the American people aren't watching. Well, they are watching, and our troops are watching. Not only are our troops at home watching, but importantly, our troops overseas who are literally risking their lives during this Veterans Day week, protecting our Nation, protecting us, and protecting our security. They are watching and so are their families.

When Members of this body decide to block funding for our troops, known as the Defense appropriations bill, the people know it. They especially know it when it has happened on this floor not once, not twice, but three times. The minority leader on the other side of the aisle has decided to filibuster our troops three times in terms of their funding. What is really amazing about that is that bill came out of the Appropriations Committee with a huge bipartisan majority. The legislation to support our troops is very bipartisan.

So, why? I was asked this back home. I truly could not provide a coherent answer for the veterans, for their families or for our troops.

I have heard a number of reasons on the Senate floor as this was being debated. I believe the minority leader said it was a waste of time. I guarantee my colleagues that the vast majority of Americans don't agree with him on that. I heard something about Republican tricks with regard to the budget deal.

I just don't know why we would filibuster the Defense appropriations bill that funds our troops three times, including one time last week. I wish the minority leader would come to the floor and give a simple answer for why he insists on continually filibustering funding for our troops during the week of Veterans Day and, more importantly, when thousands--thousands--of young American men and women are risking their lives right now--right now--defending this Nation overseas.

Some people are starting to fear that Members of this body are not making our troops the highest priority. They are starting to fear that we are not concerned about the welfare of our troops and our Nation's security. Now, I don't believe that is the case. I have the honor of sitting on the Veterans Affairs Committee. I also serve on the Armed Services Committee, and I believe that is a very bipartisan committee, where everybody is focused on our national security and our troops. As a matter of fact, I talked to a reporter last week and told her how on the Armed Services Committee so many Members on both sides of the aisle come together and focus.

We have veterans in this country who still carry scars of their military service who were not supported by the public, who were not supported by the Congress. In particular, many of our veterans who served in Vietnam came home and were ridiculed. They were not treated well. They were spit on. We can never ever go back to that shameful period of American history--never.

This week we have important work to do on these issues. We have a Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill we will be voting on in the next few days. Again, that bill was previously filibustered. I don't know why, but it looks as though we are going to move forward on that. We have a defense authorization bill, which is hugely important for the men and women of our military. It was vetoed by the President. Again, it is not clear why the President vetoed it. We are going to take that up again.

The bottom line is this: enough playing politics with our troops, their families, and our national security. It is time to come together during this week, of all weeks--the week of Veterans Day--to come together in a bipartisan way on these important bills that we are taking up this week to support our troops, to support our veterans, to support our national defense in the finest tradition of this body, in the finest tradition of the U.S. Senate. Filibustering the Defense appropriations bill three times is not in the finest tradition of this body. We need to move beyond that. Doing so this week--the week of Veterans Day--will send an important message to the American people that we know what the highest responsibility of the Congress is. It is to defend this Nation and to take care of the troops and the veterans who have sacrificed and whom we honor this week.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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