Saturday Democratic
Radio Address
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy
Saturday, October 25, 2003
[Leahy,
co-chair of the Senate’s National Guard Caucus, is a leader of a
bipartisan alliance of senators who succeeded in adding a health
insurance plan, for the National Guard and Reserves and their families,
to the President’s proposed $87 billion spending package for Iraq, to
address current gaps in their health coverage. The President’s
advisors continue to signal the Administration’s opposition to the
health insurance amendment to the bill. This week Leahy also
dispatched an aide to Ft.
Stewart, Ga., to investigate the poor conditions there for hundreds of
Guard and Reserve troops who are on “medical holds” until their
injuries and medical conditions are assessed.]
Today, as we go about our daily
lives, hundreds of thousands of other Americans are deployed around the
world protecting our freedom.
We have more than 130,000 Americans
stationed in Iraq alone. Not all Americans agreed with the decision to
go to war in Iraq. But all of us stand together in supporting our men
and women in uniform.
In many ways, this is a new American
military. A full 40 percent of our troops serving in Iraq are part of
our National Guard and Reserves. They are serving side by side with
the equally brave members of our active duty forces.
These are men and women who have
answered the call to duty - leaving behind their families, their jobs
and their careers to serve our nation.
Ever since the attacks of September
11th, we have turned early and often to our National Guard. By now,
many are serving far longer than they were told they would, and
hundreds of thousands of other reservists are standing by, awaiting the
call to duty.
As we are seeing right now at the
conference on Iraq in Spain, we are having to shoulder more than our
share of the risks to our troops and the costs of the war and its
aftermath. That’s because the White House squandered the reservoir of
the world’s goodwill that we had immediately after September 11th.
If we are going to succeed in rebuilding Iraq, we need to build a REAL
coalition, based on respect for our allies, to share the burden.
As a Senator from Vermont, I know
first hand about the sacrifices that our active duty troops and
reservists are making. Members of the Vermont National Guard are
helping to train the new Afghan Army. And I am particularly proud that
Vermont has the highest rate of Guard participation of any state.
But I am concerned that our nation is
not doing all it should to support the brave men and women hailing from
all 50 states who are serving our country.
As co-chairman of the United States
Senate National Guard Caucus, it concerns me that President Bush and
his administration are not holding up their end of the bargain.
Hard as it is to understand, the Bush
Administration opposes guaranteeing basic health insurance to every
member of the Guard and Reserves
The American people have some tough
questions for President Bush and his Administration.
They are asking American taxpayers
for $87 billion for Iraq, including $33,000 per Iraqi pick-up truck,
$50,000 per Iraqi jail cell and millions for new Iraqi zip codes. They
want millions more for Iraqi health care and for former Iraqi
soldiers. And in the meantime they have given billion-dollar no-bid
contracts to well-connected corporations like Halliburton. How can
they ask for all of these things, yet refuse to provide the money to
ensure the health of our OWN citizen soldiers?
Fortunately, many members of Congress
are working hard to get the Administration to change its position.
The good news is, Democrats and
Republicans worked together to add this health coverage for the Guard
to the President's $87 billion spending bill for Iraq.
The bad news is the White House
strongly opposes this National Guard health plan. They want it out of
the final bill before it gets to the President's desk.
They say it's not related to the war
effort. But they're wrong. And it's time for the country to come
together to support our reservists, their families and their employers.
For all of us, there is more we can
do. All of us can contribute to the family and employer support
programs in our communities. Let's not forget that many of our
reservists are also our police officers, firefighters, civil servants,
and key private-sector workers.
Employers are rightly keeping their
positions open when employees answer the call, but more federal support
should be offered to allow these employers to thrive and to support
reserve families. And then we have to welcome these proud men and
women back from their service abroad like the brave Americans they are,
and nothing less.
Let me tell you a terrible story:
More than 600 members of the National Guard and the Reserves right now
are in medical limbo in Fort Stewart Georgia - not well enough to
rejoin their units, not sick enough to be hospitalized. They are
living in sub-standard barracks, without adequate medical care. Some
were wounded in Iraq. Others fell ill before their deployment. These
reservists should be sent to other facilities closer to their families
to receive medical attention to await their reviews. Let's not leave
any of those who are serving our country and in the Guard or the
Reserves out in the cold.
Health insurance. Family support.
Proper medical treatment. That's what Democrats are fighting for.
Americans are counting on our
National Guard and Reserves for our security, and they need to know
that they can count on us. They are our neighbors and friends, they
and their families are carrying a mighty burden for each American, and
we owe them our support.
