HOW CAN PA VETS TRUST RICK SANTORUM? Rick Santorum voted against increasing veterans' health care funding three times this year. Santorum ignored warnings earlier this year that the Veterans Administration would face a funding shortfall that would jeopardize health care services for veterans nationwide - including the more than 1 million Pennsylvania veterans. Santorum cast three votes earlier this year that could have averted a $1 billion shortfall announced by the VA on June 23. Santorum voted against an amendment to increase funding for veterans' health care by $2.8 billion. [vote #55 on 3-16-05] In April, he voted twice against an amendment to increase veterans' health care funding by $1.98 billion [vote #89 on 4-12-05; vote #90 on 4-12-05] Now that the Bush administration has acknowledged a shortfall of at least $1.2 billion, embarrassed Republicans, like Rick Santorum, are scrambling to fill the gap. Newspapers report that the Republican congressional leadership (Santorum is the third-ranking Republican in the Senate) ignored warnings of a shortfall in veterans' healthcare and "fired the messengers" in their own party who tried to alert them. SOURCE: Shortfall for veterans' services foretold, but GOP leaders fired the messengers, Associated Press, July 16, 2005 PA veterans need a U.S. Senator who will get it right the first time.