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Politics
Senate Republicans Block Jobs Bill for Veterans
The Republican Party has made 'jobs' the central them of their party and Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, but today they blocked a vote on a veterans jobs bill with a filibuster in the Senate.
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) led the filibuster against the the bill, claiming that the nation’s debt was more important than helping U.S. veterans get jobs, reports The Guardian.
5 Republicans voted to proceed, but the Democrats were two votes short of the 60 required to move the bill to a vote.
The bill would cost $1 billion over five years to help veterans find employment as police officers and firefighters.
Democrats said the bill's costs are already covered by plans to collect more than half a billion in unpaid taxes, over the next five years, according to the Washington Examiner.
Minutes before the vote, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) said: “I urge my colleagues to join with us in waiving this point of order. To join with us in telling our veterans that we are not done investing in their care and benefits, not by a long shot.”
“Join with us in moving forward with a bill that is paid for, that won’t add to our deficit, and that shouldn’t be killed by procedural games.Join with us in putting veterans above political obstruction, and back to work.”
Ramsay Sulayman, of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told The Guardian: “A very small group of people that are standing for principle to block the bill from even coming to a vote. That’s what we object to. If people say ‘We don’t like the bill’ and stand up and get up and vote and go on the record … that is different. It’s sad to see a few people holding a bill to hostage."
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Comments
It's difficult to find out
It's difficult to find out the real story here.
Do you recall last year's debate over raising the debt ceiling? At the last minute, the parties agreed to raise the debt ceiling, but both parties agreed to follow the Budget Control Act of 2011, which President Obama signed into law in August of 2011. Part of that act specifically prohibited increasing the budget for certain programs, including the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Nuclear Security Administration, some management functions of the intelligence community and international affairs from the U.S. State Department.
Passing this bill violates the Budget Control Act by increasing the budget of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"My sole problem with the legislation is it violates the budget, and as a member of the Budget Committee Sen. [Patty] Murray should know it is subject to a budget point of order,” Sessions said on the floor Thursday." - Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)
Funny how you don't hear much about that.
Somehow it's the Republican's fault for not agreeing to violate an Act that both parties agreed to? Strange.
That being said, the Republicans picked a horrid time for grandstanding and deserve whatever blowback they get from this. Seems they could have compromised somehow.
Sources: "Senate Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said he’d offer a budget point of order because the bill violates the Budget Control Act, as it would increase the Veterans’ Affairs Department budget." - http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/249477-senate-postpones-vote-on-veterans-jobs-bill-until-next-week
Budget Control Act: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budget_Control_Act_of_2011