During consideration of the 2004 budget resolution, Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) offered an amendment to provide an additional $1 billion for programs benefiting veterans. The added funds would have been used to boost medical and prosthetics research, speed the processing of veterans benefits, fund the construction, renovation, and maintenance of veterans hospitals, and ensure that veterans receive a proper burial. Currently 6.5 million veterans are enrolled in the veterans' affairs (VA) health care system and that number will likely grow as U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq begin to qualify for veterans benefits. Progressives support Dorgan's amendment because many U.S. soldiers are unable to afford quality health care. The additional amount provided to veterans would be offset by an equal reduction in the amount of tax cuts contained in the budget resolution. Forty-seven Democrats voted in support of Dorgan's amendment but the measure failed to attract a majority of Senators and was narrowly defeated by a 49-51 margin.