WASHINGTON, OCT. 31, 2007 - "I joined the House in approving the largest increase in spending on veterans program in the 77-year history of the Department of Veterans Affairs," said Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Ocala), a senior member of the House Veterans Affairs' Committee. "In meeting our obligations to veterans, we succeeded in approving an increase of $6.7 billion over last year's level. This bi-partisan effort on behalf of those who served our country deserves to be considered on its own merits." The President has threatened to veto the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations (LHHS) bill with its 1,305 earmarks costing taxpayers $277.9 million. The leadership is combining the LHHS bill with the funding bill for the Department of Veterans Affairs for partisan purposes. "Instead of advancing a bill that provides $4.1 billion to improve VA facilities, the House leadership is holding it hostage to obtain funding for such wasteful projects as the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy in Las Vegas at $200,000, the Lincoln Center's Jazz Center in New York City at $150,000, and the Italian-American Cultural Center in Des Moines, IA, at $200,000.