DFL Party to John Kline: Denounce Comments of Cindy McCain on PTSD
Christian Church
October 22, 2008
Cindy McCain´s comments sets back fight for veterans´ rights 30 years.
St. Paul — In a recent interview with Marie Claire magazine, Cindy McCain trivialized the ongoing struggle to recognize Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a significant combat injury. Her comments gained national attention just as Senator John McCain is visiting Representative John Kline´s hometown of Lakeville in Minnesota´s Second Congressional District.
In her comments, McCain stated that her husband did not experience cold sweats in the middle of the night because he "was trained to do what he was doing." McCain continued, "The guys who had the trouble were the 18-year-olds who were drafted. He was trained, he went to the Naval Academy, he was a trained United States naval officer, and so he knew what he was doing." [Marie Claire, 10/7/08]
Second District Republican Representative John Kline, a veteran himself, has a mixed record on the issue of mental-health parity for veterans, especially regarding the recognition of PTSD as a combat injury.
Minnesota DFL Veterans Caucus Chair Jim Bootz released the following statement:
"Cindy McCain´s callous comments regarding PTSD single-handedly set back discussions regarding the mental health of veterans nearly 30 years. Veterans returning home from combat with mental-health concerns such as PTSD need to know that their illness will be treated quickly and seriously, not belittled or dismissed. As Senator McCain travels to the Second District today, I call on Representative John Kline to denounce the comments made by Mrs. McCain.
"In 2007, Minnesota veteran Jonathan Schulze committed suicide four days after a VA hospital turned him away when he sought help for suicidal feelings. Nationwide, suicide among veterans is reaching new highs. It is time for Kline to stand up and do something about this crisis. If he won´t, he should step aside in favor of new and real leadership."
Cindy McCain Single-handedly Sets Back Progress on PTSD
Cindy McCain made the following comments in an interview with Marie Claire magazine:
MC: You met your husband after his POW days. To what extent is that still with you — or is it a part of history?
CM: My husband will be the first one to tell you that that´s in the past. Certainly it´s a part of who he is, but he doesn´t dwell on it. It´s not part of a daily experience that we experience or anything like that. But it has shaped him. It has made him the leader that he is.
MC: But no cold sweats in the middle of the night?
CM: Oh, no, no, no, no, no. My husband, he´d be the first one to tell you that he was trained to do what he was doing. The guys who had the trouble were the 18-year-olds who were drafted. He was trained, he went to the Naval Academy, he was a trained United States naval officer, and so he knew what he was doing. [Marie Claire, 10/7/08]
Kline´s Record on PTSD and Veterans: Conduct Unbecoming
Kline Thinks We Might Be Paying Too Much Attention to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. While suicides among veterans were approaching all-time highs, John Kline participated in a hearing held by the Military Personnel Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee on "the status of the implementation of the Army´s medical action plan and other services´ support for wounded service members." In this meeting, Rep. Kline asked if "we let this emphasis on PTSD . . . pull us away from this orthopedic effort?" In response, Vice Admiral Adam Robinson, the Surgeon General of the Navy, reminded participants that PTSD was present during Vietnam and veterans who developed it "were not treated . . . and now we're seeing . . . 35 years later that that was an important thing."
Kline Co-Sponsored the 21st Century GI Bill Then Voted Against It. In May, the House of Representatives approved an expansion of the GI Bill by a 256-166 margin. To address the skyrocketing costs of higher education, the 21st Century GI Bill will give Iraq and Afghanistan veterans funds for four years of college, up to the level of the most expensive in-state public university, as well as a stipend for housing and books. Education benefits will kick in after three years of military service. GOP Rep. Jim Ramstad and all of Minnesota´s Democratic members of Congress voted for the bill but bizarrely, John Kline voted against it until it came up again, attached to Iraq War funding. [Minnesota Monitor, 5/16/08; Kline Voting Record, Project Votesmart, Accessed 10/10/08]
Kline Voted Against Veterans´ Health Care and Benefits. The vote was on an amendment to the Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs funding bill in 2005 that would have added $53 million to veterans´ health care and other benefits, offset by a nine percent cut to the Base Closure and Realignment and Commission (BRAC). The amendment would have added $8 million for combat-related trauma care, $6 million for poly-trauma centers here at home, $9 million for VA medical and prosthetic research, $7 million for additional staff to process claims, and $23 million to help approximately 4,100 spouses of service members with children whose spouses died during the war. The amendment failed by one vote 213-214. [House Budget Committee Democratic Leadership Document, "Medical Quality Democratic Amendment Final"; HR 2528, Vote #224, 5/26/2005]
Kline Also Voted to Protect Billions for the Rich While Voting Against Health Benefits for Veterans. In 2005, he voted for final passage of the $2.6 trillion budget conference report that cut funding for veterans´ health care by $13.5 billion over five years. However, he still found room for $106 billion in tax cuts for the rich. [Caucus, "Summary and Analysis of FY 2006 Budget Resolution Conference Report"; HR 95, Vote #149, 4/28/2005]
Kline Opposed Offering Military Health Benefits to National Guard and Reserve Members. The proposal would have provided access to TRICARE to most members of the Guard and Reserve and their families for a low fee. The motion failed 211-218. [Leadership Document, "DOD Authorization Previous Question on Rule"; HR 1815, Vote #221, 5/25/2005]
Kline Voted Against Debt Assistance for Returning Guard and Reserve Members. His vote was against a motion on the 2005 bankruptcy reform bill to exempt members of the National Guard and Reserve from the means test in the bill if their debt resulted from active duty or was incurred within two years of returning from their service. Four out of 10 members of the Guard and Reserve forces lose income when they leave their civilian jobs for active duty. [Los Angeles Times, 4/15/05; Statement by Rep. Schakowsky, 109th Congressional Record, pg. H2074, 4/14/05; Vote #107]
Kline Voted Against Full Retirement and Disability Benefits for Veterans. U.S. policy is to reduce a military retiree´s pension by $1 for every dollar received in disability compensation. Veterans´ groups have for years tried to change this. The motion to fully fund disability and retirement benefits for our nation´s veterans failed 188-217. [Associated Press, 11/7/03; HR 1588, Vote #616, 11/7/2003]
St. Paul — In a recent interview with Marie Claire magazine, Cindy McCain trivialized the ongoing struggle to recognize Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a significant combat injury. Her comments gained national attention just as Senator John McCain is visiting Representative John Kline´s hometown of Lakeville in Minnesota´s Second Congressional District.
In her comments, McCain stated that her husband did not experience cold sweats in the middle of the night because he "was trained to do what he was doing." McCain continued, "The guys who had the trouble were the 18-year-olds who were drafted. He was trained, he went to the Naval Academy, he was a trained United States naval officer, and so he knew what he was doing." [Marie Claire, 10/7/08]
Second District Republican Representative John Kline, a veteran himself, has a mixed record on the issue of mental-health parity for veterans, especially regarding the recognition of PTSD as a combat injury.
Minnesota DFL Veterans Caucus Chair Jim Bootz released the following statement:
"Cindy McCain´s callous comments regarding PTSD single-handedly set back discussions regarding the mental health of veterans nearly 30 years. Veterans returning home from combat with mental-health concerns such as PTSD need to know that their illness will be treated quickly and seriously, not belittled or dismissed. As Senator McCain travels to the Second District today, I call on Representative John Kline to denounce the comments made by Mrs. McCain.
"In 2007, Minnesota veteran Jonathan Schulze committed suicide four days after a VA hospital turned him away when he sought help for suicidal feelings. Nationwide, suicide among veterans is reaching new highs. It is time for Kline to stand up and do something about this crisis. If he won´t, he should step aside in favor of new and real leadership."
Cindy McCain Single-handedly Sets Back Progress on PTSD
Cindy McCain made the following comments in an interview with Marie Claire magazine:
MC: You met your husband after his POW days. To what extent is that still with you — or is it a part of history?
CM: My husband will be the first one to tell you that that´s in the past. Certainly it´s a part of who he is, but he doesn´t dwell on it. It´s not part of a daily experience that we experience or anything like that. But it has shaped him. It has made him the leader that he is.
MC: But no cold sweats in the middle of the night?
CM: Oh, no, no, no, no, no. My husband, he´d be the first one to tell you that he was trained to do what he was doing. The guys who had the trouble were the 18-year-olds who were drafted. He was trained, he went to the Naval Academy, he was a trained United States naval officer, and so he knew what he was doing. [Marie Claire, 10/7/08]
Kline´s Record on PTSD and Veterans: Conduct Unbecoming
Kline Thinks We Might Be Paying Too Much Attention to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. While suicides among veterans were approaching all-time highs, John Kline participated in a hearing held by the Military Personnel Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee on "the status of the implementation of the Army´s medical action plan and other services´ support for wounded service members." In this meeting, Rep. Kline asked if "we let this emphasis on PTSD . . . pull us away from this orthopedic effort?" In response, Vice Admiral Adam Robinson, the Surgeon General of the Navy, reminded participants that PTSD was present during Vietnam and veterans who developed it "were not treated . . . and now we're seeing . . . 35 years later that that was an important thing."
Kline Co-Sponsored the 21st Century GI Bill Then Voted Against It. In May, the House of Representatives approved an expansion of the GI Bill by a 256-166 margin. To address the skyrocketing costs of higher education, the 21st Century GI Bill will give Iraq and Afghanistan veterans funds for four years of college, up to the level of the most expensive in-state public university, as well as a stipend for housing and books. Education benefits will kick in after three years of military service. GOP Rep. Jim Ramstad and all of Minnesota´s Democratic members of Congress voted for the bill but bizarrely, John Kline voted against it until it came up again, attached to Iraq War funding. [Minnesota Monitor, 5/16/08; Kline Voting Record, Project Votesmart, Accessed 10/10/08]
Kline Voted Against Veterans´ Health Care and Benefits. The vote was on an amendment to the Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs funding bill in 2005 that would have added $53 million to veterans´ health care and other benefits, offset by a nine percent cut to the Base Closure and Realignment and Commission (BRAC). The amendment would have added $8 million for combat-related trauma care, $6 million for poly-trauma centers here at home, $9 million for VA medical and prosthetic research, $7 million for additional staff to process claims, and $23 million to help approximately 4,100 spouses of service members with children whose spouses died during the war. The amendment failed by one vote 213-214. [House Budget Committee Democratic Leadership Document, "Medical Quality Democratic Amendment Final"; HR 2528, Vote #224, 5/26/2005]
Kline Also Voted to Protect Billions for the Rich While Voting Against Health Benefits for Veterans. In 2005, he voted for final passage of the $2.6 trillion budget conference report that cut funding for veterans´ health care by $13.5 billion over five years. However, he still found room for $106 billion in tax cuts for the rich. [Caucus, "Summary and Analysis of FY 2006 Budget Resolution Conference Report"; HR 95, Vote #149, 4/28/2005]
Kline Opposed Offering Military Health Benefits to National Guard and Reserve Members. The proposal would have provided access to TRICARE to most members of the Guard and Reserve and their families for a low fee. The motion failed 211-218. [Leadership Document, "DOD Authorization Previous Question on Rule"; HR 1815, Vote #221, 5/25/2005]
Kline Voted Against Debt Assistance for Returning Guard and Reserve Members. His vote was against a motion on the 2005 bankruptcy reform bill to exempt members of the National Guard and Reserve from the means test in the bill if their debt resulted from active duty or was incurred within two years of returning from their service. Four out of 10 members of the Guard and Reserve forces lose income when they leave their civilian jobs for active duty. [Los Angeles Times, 4/15/05; Statement by Rep. Schakowsky, 109th Congressional Record, pg. H2074, 4/14/05; Vote #107]
Kline Voted Against Full Retirement and Disability Benefits for Veterans. U.S. policy is to reduce a military retiree´s pension by $1 for every dollar received in disability compensation. Veterans´ groups have for years tried to change this. The motion to fully fund disability and retirement benefits for our nation´s veterans failed 188-217. [Associated Press, 11/7/03; HR 1588, Vote #616, 11/7/2003]
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