Dear Colleague:

The VA-HUD appropriation bill contains a rider which would effectively "defund" the pending federal tobacco lawsuit and shelter the tobacco companies from federal liability. The rider expressly states that no money budgeted for litigation support may be used "for the purposes of supporting litigation against tobacco companies."

The VA spends $4 billion annually treating tobacco-related illnesses. Under the Medical Care Recovery Act, any recovery by the Justice Department of these costs would be returned to the VA. The effect of the rider is to block the VA from obtaining potentially tens of billions of health care dollars.

The Department of Veterans Affairs strongly supports this suit and has been working closely with the Justice Department as it moves forward. AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of Americans, and Veterans of Foreign Wars also support the litigation. They have written to members urging us: "to oppose efforts to stymie attempts by the Department of Justice to advance a lawsuit seeking to recover health care cost associated with tobacco-related disease. While the outcome of this litigation is in doubt, it does provide a possible avenue to help defray the enormous health care costs, past, present, and future, associated with tobacco-related disability. I urge you to resist efforts to attempt restrict funding for the Department of Justice to continue this important litigation."

When the VA-HUD bill comes to the floor, I plan to join with Rep. Henry Waxman and others in offering an amendment to strike the tobacco rider. Please join us in stopping this outrageous gift to the tobacco companies.

Sincerely,

LANE EVANS
Ranking Democratic Member