The full ad, which concludes with the statement, "Mr. President: You're either with us or against us," can be found at Operation Truth's website, www.operationtruth.com.

"This administration has not made Veterans' issues a priority," said Paul Rieckhoff, OIF Veteran and Executive Director of Operation Truth. "Without immediate action, four out of five returning Troops could be forced to go without the care they desperately need, but still there is a debate in Congress about how much to give the VA."

Earlier this month, VA Secretary Jim Nicholson admitted that his administration had failed to anticipate the needs of Iraq War veterans in it's budget request for this year. Instead, the VA based its budget on numbers from 2002 – before the war in Iraq. Accurate accounting, he said, means the funding needs for Veterans' health care services in 2005 would be roughly $1 billion greater than anticipated.

A bipartisan Senate immediately and unanimously passed a $1.5 billion emergency supplemental spending bill to make up the shortfall, with any remaining money to go towards the gap now anticipated for 2006. The ad from Operation Truth calls on Congress to pass the Senate bill, and also to act quickly in addressing the coming year's budget gap.

"The administration clearly dropped the ball here. Regardless of your feelings about the war, it is inexcusable that hundreds-of-thousands of Troops could return from Iraq to inadequate care," Rieckhoff said. "Our Troops have served when called, and now it's time for the President and Congress to uphold their end of the bargain."

Operation Truth (www.operationtruth.org) is America's first and largest Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans Organization, representing Veterans in all fifty states, Puerto Rico and Guam. Its mission is to amplify the voice of the Troops.

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