FACT SHEET: Veterans Support President Bush

George W. Bush ^ | June 04, 2004

[RWR8189]

"Bush-Cheney '04 is building the largest grassroots veterans organization that any campaign has ever created. The Bush campaign's focus on peer-to-peer contact among veterans supporting the President is truly unprecedented and reflects the strong ties between America's veterans and President Bush's principled leadership and commitment to our military."

-Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman

Bush-Cheney '04 Has Unprecedented Veterans Support

More Than 40 Medal Of Honor Recipients Have Endorsed President Bush.

Rolling Thunder, A Veterans Organization With 70 chapters And More Than 7,000 Members, Has Endorsed President Bush.

Bush-Cheney '04 Has Assembled A National Veterans Steering Committee Of 60 Former Officers And Enlisted Personnel.

In Addition To The National Veterans Coalition Rollout In Florida On May 11, Veterans Coalition Rollout Events Have Occurred In Arkansas, Missouri and New Hampshire.

America's Heroic Veterans Endorse President Bush

Medal Of Honor Recipient Gen. Pat Brady Says Veterans Stand By President Bush. Brady: "I will tell you -- as will every Medal of Honor recipient -- that we wear this Medal for our fellow veterans those we served and to whom we owe everything, including our lives. By wearing this Medal today, I am keeping faith with those who wore the uniform with me. We stand by President George W. Bush - he has proven an ally of veterans everywhere, and today we stand united in re-electing him. … America's veterans and 49 Medal of Honor recipients know that President George W. Bush is the man to lead us in the fight against terrorism, a man who will keep faith with those serving and those who have served." ("General Pat Brady Announces 'Medal of Honor Recipients for Bush-Cheney '04,'" 5/11/04)

Easy Company Commander Maj. Dick Winters Says "President Bush Has Been A Great Friend To The Greatest Generation." Winters: "The President’s actions on behalf of our servicemen and women show his deep respect for all who wear the uniforms of our armed forces. President Bush has overseen a 21 percent increase in military pay since taking office and has ensured that our troops in the field have what they need to win the War on Terror. The President's steady leadership in these changing times and commitment to bringing the fight to the terrorists is keeping America safe. Funding for VA medical care has increased by over 40 percent during the President's term, facilitating the treatment of one million additional veterans. President Bush has been a great friend to the greatest generation." (Statement by Maj. Dick Winters Former Commander of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division, 5/28/04)

Rolling Thunder President Artie Muller Endorses President Bush. Muller: “We are grateful for the President’s leadership in honoring our nation’s commitment to veterans. We appreciate his leadership in the War on Terror and in protecting our homeland against those who threaten our freedoms and way of life. We will put our manpower and resources to work to ensure four more years of our President Bush's leadership. … This is our way of thanking this President for his commitment to increasing access to housing and health care services for all veterans, reducing the disability claims backlog and overseeing the largest expansion of our national cemetery system since the Civil War. ("Rolling Thunder Endorses President George W. Bush," 5/27/04)

President Bush Is Delivering For Veterans

Annenberg Public Policy Center: Kerry’s Claims About Veterans Health Cuts Are Not True. The University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Center stated in a FactCheck, "[F]unding for veterans is going up twice as fast under Bush as it did under Clinton. And the number of veterans getting health benefits is going up 25% under Bush’s budgets. That’s hardly a cut. … FactCheck.org twice contacted the Kerry campaign asking how he justified his claim that the VA budget is being cut, but we’ve received no response." (FactCheck.org Website, www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docid=144 , Accessed 2/18/04)

Increased VA Funding. The President’s FY 2005 budget proposes to increase funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs to $68 billion from the 2001 level of $48 billion. The President’s budget requests $29.5 billion for VA’s medical care for next year, more that 40 percent above the 2001 level. The past four straight VA budget increases have provided more than a 40 percent increase in VA health care alone since 2001-- enabling a million more patients to receive treatment.

Increased Health Care Service to Veterans. In the past four years, President Bush’s budgets have allowed the VA to enroll 2.5 million more veterans for health care services, increase outpatient visits from 44 million to 54 million, increase the number of prescriptions filled from 86 million to 108 million and open 194 new community-based clinics available for veterans. The number of veterans registered for health benefits increased 18 percent under President Bush and will increase by almost 26 percent by October 2004. ("Funding For Veterans Up 27%, But Democrats Call It A Cut," FactCheck.org Website, www.factcheck.org, Accessed 2/18/04)

Concurrent Receipt of Benefits. President Bush has twice signed legislation effectively providing "concurrent receipt" of both military retired pay and VA disability compensation for combat-injured and highly-disabled veterans, reversing a century old law preventing concurrent receipt.

Cutting the Disability Claims Backlog. President Bush promised to reduce the disability claims backlog, and at his request, Congress has provided VA with the resources it needs to reduce claims. Claims backlogs have dropped from a high of 432,000 and are approaching the goal of 250,000 while the volume of claims decisions per month has increased from 40,000 to 68,000. The average length of time to process a veteran’s compensation claim has dropped from approximately 230 days to 160 days and the VA expects to meet its goal of 100 days this year.

Help for Homeless Veterans. As a result of the President’s 2003 budget, community grants were expanded to all 50 States and Washington, D.C. for the first time in history, ensuring that homeless veterans have access to housing, health care and shelter.

Additional Prescription Drug Coverage. Last year, President Bush took the unprecedented step of allowing veterans waiting for a medical appointment who already have a prescription from their private physician, to have those prescriptions filled by the VA. This is saving veterans hundreds of dollars in drug costs.

VA Expansion. The President is seeking to improve outpatient veteran’s health care services through the CARES improvements, which will result in the construction of two new medical centers in Orlando, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada; over 100 major construction projects to revitalize and modernize VA medical centers in 37 states; creation of 156 new community-based outpatient clinics; potential creation of four new - and expansion of five existing - spinal cord injury centers; and opening up two new blind rehabilitation centers.

[Coop]

I had a "Veterans for Bush/Cheney" bumper sticker left over from the 2000 election. It's been on my car since Mar of this year. :-)

[gilliam]

http://www.bushforpresident.org

[bushfamfan]

Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant, the pilot taken POW from the downed Black Hawk helicopter in Somalia, is also a leader in the veterans for Bush. He will be an effective spokesman too, knowing what this country is going through with terrorist tactics.