Senator Tim Johnson -- for his great work in the Senate. (Applause.) Somebody who has been fighting for veterans since he entered into Congress and is just tireless on this issue -- Chet Edwards. Please give Chet a big round of applause. (Applause.) The other members of Congress who worked so hard: Michael Michaud -- (applause) -- Phil Hare -- Phil is right here. (Applause.) Harry Brown -- Harry Brown did great work on this. (Applause.) And so many others. This is a reminder of what's possible when we come together, Democrats and Republicans, to do right by our veterans.

And let me say that I take special pride in this legislation because as a senator I was a proud co-sponsor of this legislation. I served on the Veterans Affairs Committee. In the campaign last year, you all remember, I made a promise to pass it. And today as President, I'm fulfilling that promise and I'm going to sign it into law. (Applause.)

With this legislation we're fundamentally reforming how we fund health care for our veterans. With advance appropriations, veterans' medical care will be funded a year in advance. For the VA, this means timely, sufficient and predictable funding from year to year. For VA hospitals and clinics, it means more time to budget, to recruit high-quality professionals, and to invest in new health care equipment.

And most of all, for our veterans it will mean better access to the doctors and nurses and the medical care that they need: specialized care for our wounded warriors with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries, and the staffing to welcome back to the VA those half-million "Priority 8" vets.

In short, this is common-sense reform. It promotes accountability at the VA. It ensures oversight by Congress. It is fiscally responsible by not adding a dime to the deficit. And it ensures that veterans' health care will no longer be held hostage to the annual budget battles in Washington. (Applause.)

Of course, as we all know, keeping faith with our veterans is work that is never truly done. Today's veterans expect and deserve the highest-quality care -- as will tomorrow's veterans, especially our men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And should they ask this Veterans Day, will America back up its words with deeds -- because of everyone in this room, because of this reform legislation, the answer will be, yes, the United States of America will keep our promise to our veterans. We will fulfill our responsibilities. We will uphold our obligations to all who serve. And that's why I am thrilled to be signing this legislation into law right now.

Thank you very much. God bless you. (Applause.)

(The bill is signed.) (Applause.)

END
2:39 P.M. EDT

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