McCaskill Vet Amendment: "This Is Urgent"

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill is offering an amendment on the Senate floor today that would provide millions more in the war supplemental for caseworkers and crisis counselors to assist recovering service members and their families.

McCaskill is scheduled to speak on the Senate floor between 2:45-3:45 p.m. Central Time.

McCaskill held a conference call during the noon hour to address the amendment.

A release states her amendment would provide $103 million dollars for more workers to handle paperwork and additional mental health and crisis counselors.

The amendment is designed to pull out the parts from her original "Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act" that need immediate funding.

Why is the amendment needed in addition to her legislation?

"We can't sit around and wait for commissions and studies," McCaskill said in a conference call. "I don't think we can sit and wait for the legislation to get through."

The idea is that this funding would be directed immediately to caseworkers, mental health workers and crisis centers that deal with active service members. "We have to address the urgent, this is urgent," McCaskill said.

The funding would also be directed towards a comprehensive study of the mental health of soldiers after they leave the battlefield in Iraq. McCaskill said after Vietnam a similar study was conducted -- but 15 years late. "We need to do it now, before it's too late," McCaskill said.

But the funding faces hurdles. Even if it passes, President Bush has threatened to veto any Iraq supplemental that contains timetables.

"We cannot legislate around a threatened veto," McCaskill responded. "If the President vetoes whatever is passed, it'll be up to us to deal with that veto."

Still, she said it was premature to expect a veto from the President.