Senate Proceeding 03-31-09 on Mar 31st, 2009 :: 3:10:10 to 3:22:20
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3:09:58 to 3:10:19( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: by $15 billion. we on the appropriations committee know that in order to meet the level proposed by the budget com to make real cuts in the budget proposed by president obama. but i must say that i'm surprised that we're now facing

3:10:10 to 3:22:20( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Daniel Inouye

3:10:20 to 3:10:41( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: an amendment which cut discretionary more. as i stand here, i find myself somewhat at a explain all the impacts that would occur if further made. madam president, while we know the overall parameters of the president's budget, we do not

3:10:42 to 3:11:03( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: yet have most of the details on the thousands of programs which will be reviewed in detail by that information is not available to the congress at this moment. so, madam president, we really don't know which programs that i've been supported by -- that have been supported by the

3:11:04 to 3:11:29( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: senate in years past will be proposed for cuts or elimination. we don't know which fees are offsetting collection that are buried in the president's request added to the unfunded cost in the budget. we also know that nearly all of our colleagues will be asking for items that will not be included in the request.

3:11:30 to 3:11:50( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: we know that many of you will be writing various committees urging that we adopt new programs and initiatives that might be incorporated in this budget. and we know this for sure, the committee will face a larger burden than just

3:11:51 to 3:12:11( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: identifying $15 billion that can be reduc by the president's request. madam details that we have already received about the budget request, here that we know would result by freezing nondefense

3:12:12 to 3:12:32( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: discretionary first my colleagues should all be advised that the largest single increase spending budget for fy 2010 will be for the is needed to meet our constitutional responsibility,

3:12:33 to 3:12:54( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: mr. president. this amount is needed in fiscal year 2010. it cannot be delayed. the timeliness and accuracy of the census we don't fund this. second we will include dz 3-dz .5 billion

3:12:55 to 3:13:16( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: increase for the veterans administration to cover the cost ofedical chair and inflation as well as projected increase in v.a. enrollment. and new proposal to expend v.a. health

3:13:17 to 3:13:37( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: care over $500,000 for nottest income veterans. increased veterans health care services and specialty care services targeted by the growing population of iraq and afghanistan veterans includes prosthetics, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury

3:13:38 to 3:14:01( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: which would have to be curtailed if we freeze spending. surely the sponsors of this amendment don't want us to cut these needed increases for our veterans. and, madam president, if i may be personal at this juncture, and this is not in text.

3:14:02 to 3:14:24( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: i had the privilege and honor of serving in the army of the united states during world war ii. i was literally a young boy. i was 18 when i but i know a few things about that war.

3:14:25 to 3:14:45( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: my regiment, the 442nd regimental combat team has been declared to be the most decorated unit of its size in world war ii. it also had one of the highest casualty numbers of any war.

3:14:46 to 3:15:06( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: we began our june of 1944. the war ended in may of 1945. in those 11 months, we began

3:15:07 to 3:15:30( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: service with 5,000 men, infantry men. at the end of 11 months over 12,000 had gone through the ranks. all brought about because of the necessity of replacements to replace those who had been wounded in action.

3:15:31 to 3:15:53( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: and so when our men got involved one battle that lasted five days. at casualty rate was 800. and of that when you see somehow iraq becomes

3:15:54 to 3:16:14( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: inconsequential more today, three tomorrow. but at that time, madam president, times were a little different. for example, if i had been wound in baghdad, i would evacuated from that site of

3:16:15 to 3:16:38( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: battle to the hospital within 30 minutes by helicopter. on my last battle, and when received my gut, my leg, i had to be evacuated by stretcher.

3:16:39 to 3:17:01( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: evacuation began at 3:00 in afternoon. i got to the hospital at midnight. nine and so it sounds unbelievable, but with all of the casualties we've had, not one double amputee survived the war.

3:17:02 to 3:17:24( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: and we had dozens of them. but they bled to death because of the long not one brain injury case survived because of the long evacuation. not one spi survived because of the long evacuation. today they're all surviving.

3:17:25 to 3:17:45( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: and this amount will cut it out. help for them will disappear. on a final note i think about this and i chuckle when i was taken to the hospital at midnight, we were put into a

3:17:46 to 3:18:06( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: tent about half the size o chamber and hundreds we lined up on stretchers. and teams of doctors and nurses would go down the line, look at the medical card and whisper among themselves and you can

3:18:07 to 3:18:27( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: hear number one, number two, number three. by the time he got to me my sense meant number send him immediately to operating room. number two meant, oh, his injury is not that serious, he can wait. number

3:18:28 to 3:18:48( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: good job for u thank you. and so you would see the chaplain going to all the number threes. the chaplain came to me. i didn't know, but i was designated number three.

3:18:49 to 3:19:12( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: and the chaplain said: son, god loves you. i looked at the chaplain and i said, chaplain, i know that god loves me, but i'm not ready to see him yet. so here i am. what i'm trying to say, madam president, is that in that war seriously injured soldiers did

3:19:13 to 3:19:33( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: not survive and maybe in the sense it's god's gift, i would hate to think of myself lying rest of my life looking at the ceiling, but they survived. and i think it's our

3:19:34 to 3:19:54( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: responsibility this amendment would cut that and if i may proceed further, the budget will include a $250 million increase to cut down on overpayments and social security.

3:19:55 to 3:20:17( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: and we know this from experience for ev save $10 in appropriate payments. isn't that good investment? by spending $250 million we're going to save billions.

3:20:18 to 3:20:40( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: i thought spending, but saving. and then we have an amount o of $183 million which would be cut out because w maintain existing rentals assisting programs.

3:20:41 to 3:21:03( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: madam president, as we -- as you preside, and as i speak, we should keep in mind that many of our fellow citizens are sweating out each day not knowing whether he job tomorrow or whether they can keep up the payments on the

3:21:04 to 3:21:25( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: mortgage or whether they can pay for health care or whether they can pay the rent. without this, all hope is gone. the least we can do is to let them know that we're here to help them get through this cris

3:21:26 to 3:21:47( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: yes, madam president, there's another one. we know about potential we know that we don't have enough train -- air controllers, air traffic controllers. this resolution provides funds

3:21:48 to 3:22:09( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: for that purpose to train so that we may have safer traveling. madam president, when i travel, which is not often enough, i go to hawaii. it takes just in flying time 11

3:22:10 to 3:22:20( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: hours. i feel safe because i have confidence in our air traffic controllers.