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WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Armed Services and Budget Committees, made the following statement Wednesday regarding the importance for Texas veterans of passing a clean VA Appropriations funding bill: “We have an obligation to provide veterans in Texas and across America critical funding for health care, services and benefits, without letting it get bogged down in partisan politics. The veterans’ funding bill contains critical resources to improve medical services for veterans, enhance benefits and bolster Texas military facilities. “The majority party irresponsibly sought to combine the veterans’ funding bill with unrelated legislation in an effort to include special interest, pork-barrel projects at the expense of the taxpayers. I was pleased to join my colleagues in defeating this effort to hold critical veterans’ funding hostage. “Congress must now pass a clean veterans’ bill and send it to the President as soon as possible. Our nation’s military service members and veterans deserve nothing less.” BACKGROUND:With the support of Sen. Cornyn this evening, the Senate defeated an effort by Democrat leaders to combine the annual VA appropriations bill with an unrelated appropriations bill that contains billions of dollars in excess federal spending and which the President had vowed to veto. Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee.