The GOP and Veterans

U.S. Senate Republicans block veterans' health bill on budget worry

U.S. Senate Republicans blocked legislation on Thursday that would have expanded federal healthcare and education programs for veterans, saying the $24 billion bill would bust the budget.

Even though the legislation cleared a procedural vote on Tuesday by a 99-0 vote, the measure quickly got bogged down in partisan fighting.

Supporters said the measure would have brought the most significant changes in decades to U.S. veterans' programs. For example, it called for 27 new medical facilities to help a healthcare system that is strained by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

With Democrats pressing for passage this week, Senate Republicans, backed by their leader, Mitch McConnell, attempted to attach controversial legislation calling for possible new sanctions on Iran that President Barack Obama opposes.

"The issue of Iran sanctions ... has nothing to do with the needs of veterans," complained Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Bernard Sanders of Vermont, the main sponsor of the bill.

Republicans also raised budget concerns, forcing another key procedural vote that ended up killing the bill. By a vote of 56-41, the Senate failed to waive budget rules that would have allowed the bill to proceed. Sixty votes were needed and 41 of the chamber's 45 Republicans voted against the waiver.

Referring to recent budget deals that aim to bring down federal deficits, Republican Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama said: "This bill would spend more than we agreed to spend. The ink is hardly dry and here we have another bill to raise that spending again."

The legislation had the backing of most veterans' organizations, but was doomed by deep disagreements between Democrats and Republicans that have made this Congress one of the least productive in decades.

Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, had hoped senators would, "rise above the day-to-day rancor and the party politics that we see on this floor almost every single day," and support a law affecting 22 million veterans, including more than 2 million who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With Thursday's vote, Congress sent another disjointed message to the nation's veterans.

In December, Congress passed a two-year budget deal that included a reduction in veterans' pension benefits. Weeks later, Congress did an about-face and repealed many of the cuts.

And early this week, with the initial 99-0 procedural vote on Sanders' bill, the Senate appeared to be delivering a strong show of support for veterans, only to see the legislation die in the Senate with Thursday's vote.

GOP blocks veterans bill

Senate Republicans stopped Democrats from advancing a bill that would have expanded healthcare and education programs for veterans.

In a 56-41 vote Thursday, the motion to waive a budget point of order against the bill failed, as Democrats fell short of the 60 votes needed to overcome the Republican roadblock.

GOP Sens. Dean Heller (Nev.) and Jerry Moran (Kan.) voted with Democrats.


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) refused to allow a GOP substitute amendment to get an up-or-down vote because it included Iran sanctions, which he said were unrelated to veterans’ issues.

“I hope all the veterans groups have witnessed all the contortions the Republicans have done to defeat this bill,” Reid said Thursday. “Shame on Republicans for bringing base politics into a bill to help veterans.”

Republicans tried to force consideration of the GOP amendment, but failed to table Reid's pending amendments on a 44-52 vote.

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said it was necessary to include the Iran sanctions measure in his GOP alternative because Reid had refused to hold a separate vote. Republicans also disagreed with the way the veterans bill was paid for.
Burr said he was not surprised that Reid once again blocked any Republican amendments.

“I thought it was very predictable even before the legislation came up,” he said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) bill, S. 1982, would have expanded veterans' healthcare programs, given veterans in-state tuition rates at all schools across the country and provided advanced appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

It also sought to permanently fix a cut to the growth rate of veterans' pensions. Earlier this year, Congress passed a bill to avoid a cut in the growth rate for current service members and veterans, but anyone enlisting after 2013 would still see a cut. Sanders’s bill would have eliminated that cut as well.

Sanders slammed Republicans for trying to attach the issue of Iran sanctions to the measure.

“Whatever your views are, it just does not belong in a veterans bill,” Sanders said at a press conference after the vote. “And I think the vast majority of the American people understand that. I found it rather incredible.

Sanders paid for the more than $20 billion bill by limiting overseas contingency funds from 2018-2021.

Republicans have said the early troop withdrawals in Afghanistan and Iraq have overextended funds in the Overseas Contingency Operations account. They argue it’s not a real pay-for because those funds are essentially “off budget” and not subject to discretionary spending caps.

“This bill proposes to spend more than we agreed to spend,” Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said before raising the budget point of order. “This bill creates new veterans’ programs and it’s not paid for — it’s all borrowed money.

“We’re not going to use some bogus gimmick to justify busting the budget.”

Sanders said it’s appalling that Republicans support tax breaks for billionaires but say there isn’t enough money to improve benefits for veterans.

Another GOP complaint was that Sanders’s bill increased the number of veterans who could qualify for disability benefits. Burr said Sanders’s bill would allow a veteran who is injured in the private sector to apply for VA disability benefits. The VA has an ever-increasing backlog, causing some veterans to wait more than a year to receive a decision on their benefits application.

It was also unclear how much expansion of benefits would cost long-term.

If Reid continues to block attempts to amend bills, little will be achieved during this legislative session, Republicans said.

“Unfortunately, it’s become standard practice around here for the majority to pursue partisan legislation in a take-it-or-leave-it manner,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Thursday.

The Senate is expected in the coming weeks to consider competing military sexual assault bills from Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), though votes haven’t been scheduled yet.

Gillibrand’s bill has bipartisan support but is controversial because it would remove commanders from the decision process of whether to pursue a sexual assault case.

PkrBum wrote:I thght dems want to cut the military? I guess that flies unless their dear leaders want an intervention or to pander.

PkrBum wrote:I thght dems want to cut the military? I guess that flies unless their dear leaders want an intervention or to pander.

TEOTWAWKI wrote:Here's a couple sections I would take issue with....They can pay for their own Gym memberships and what responsibility does the government have to assure vets can have children ? Why do women get counseling retreats...bullshit !.

Sec. 312. Program on health promotion for overweight and obese veterans through support of fitness center memberships.

Sec. 313. Program on health promotion for veterans through establishment of Department of Veterans Affairs fitness facilities.


........................................................................................

Subtitle G—Reproductive treatment and services

Sec. 371. Clarification that fertility counseling and treatment are medical services which the Secretary may furnish to veterans like other medical services.

Sec. 372. Reproductive treatment and care for spouses and surrogates of veterans.

Sec. 373. Adoption assistance for severely wounded veterans.

Sec. 374. Regulations on furnishing of fertility counseling and treatment and adoption assistance by Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sec. 375. Coordination between Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense on furnishing of fertility counseling and treatment.

Sec. 376. Facilitation of reproduction and infertility research.

Sec. 377. Annual report on provision of fertility counseling and treatment furnished by Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sec. 378. Program on assistance for child care for certain veterans.

Sec. 379. Counseling in retreat settings for women veterans newly separated from service in the Armed Forces.

TEOTWAWKI wrote:Here's a couple sections I would take issue with....They can pay for their own Gym memberships and what responsibility does the government have to assure vets can have children ? Why do women get counseling retreats...bullshit !.

Sec. 312. Program on health promotion for overweight and obese veterans through support of fitness center memberships.

Sec. 313. Program on health promotion for veterans through establishment of Department of Veterans Affairs fitness facilities.


........................................................................................

Subtitle G—Reproductive treatment and services

Sec. 371. Clarification that fertility counseling and treatment are medical services which the Secretary may furnish to veterans like other medical services.

Sec. 372. Reproductive treatment and care for spouses and surrogates of veterans.

Sec. 373. Adoption assistance for severely wounded veterans.

Sec. 374. Regulations on furnishing of fertility counseling and treatment and adoption assistance by Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sec. 375. Coordination between Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense on furnishing of fertility counseling and treatment.

Sec. 376. Facilitation of reproduction and infertility research.

Sec. 377. Annual report on provision of fertility counseling and treatment furnished by Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sec. 378. Program on assistance for child care for certain veterans.

Sec. 379. Counseling in retreat settings for women veterans newly separated from service in the Armed Forces.

Floridatexan wrote:

TEOTWAWKI wrote:Here's a couple sections I would take issue with....They can pay for their own Gym memberships and what responsibility does the government have to assure vets can have children ? Why do women get counseling retreats...bullshit !.

Sec. 312. Program on health promotion for overweight and obese veterans through support of fitness center memberships.

Sec. 313. Program on health promotion for veterans through establishment of Department of Veterans Affairs fitness facilities.


........................................................................................

Subtitle G—Reproductive treatment and services

Sec. 371. Clarification that fertility counseling and treatment are medical services which the Secretary may furnish to veterans like other medical services.

Sec. 372. Reproductive treatment and care for spouses and surrogates of veterans.

Sec. 373. Adoption assistance for severely wounded veterans.

Sec. 374. Regulations on furnishing of fertility counseling and treatment and adoption assistance by Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sec. 375. Coordination between Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense on furnishing of fertility counseling and treatment.

Sec. 376. Facilitation of reproduction and infertility research.

Sec. 377. Annual report on provision of fertility counseling and treatment furnished by Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sec. 378. Program on assistance for child care for certain veterans.

Sec. 379. Counseling in retreat settings for women veterans newly separated from service in the Armed Forces.

Did you know that regular exercise can actually improve medical outcomes and overall well being?  Or that exposure to Agent Orange and depleted uranium, e.g., can cause birth defects?

Wordslinger wrote:OK, our conservatives are against spending money on vets, but for it to close planned parenthood, against anything to improve the environment or reduce pollution, but for spending to increase military expenditures -- like training rebels fighters who could serve as our proxies against ISIS in Syria and Iraq -- for example, like we just spent several BILLION to train and arm FOUR -- THATS FOUR --  troops -- reality.  Yessirree sir, our conservatives want us to cut corporate taxes, and at the same time stop funding public schools ...  

It's good to know our enemies.

gatorfan wrote:

Wordslinger wrote:OK, our conservatives are against spending money on vets, but for it to close planned parenthood, against anything to improve the environment or reduce pollution, but for spending to increase military expenditures -- like training rebels fighters who could serve as our proxies against ISIS in Syria and Iraq -- for example, like we just spent several BILLION to train and arm FOUR -- THATS FOUR --  troops -- reality.  Yessirree sir, our conservatives want us to cut corporate taxes, and at the same time stop funding public schools ...  

It's good to know our enemies.

Um, the failed "plan" to $pend (wa$te) million$ on training mercenarie$ is Obama'$ (you know him - the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Force$) plan to do "$omething" in $yria. You're turning into a u$eful propaganda tool. For $omeone, not $ure who though.

Wordslinger wrote:If you want real honesty, this Veteran thing stands as a wonderful example.  They were recruited, sent to wars we had no intention to win, used up, maimed or killed, and are now being cast off on their own, because we really did never give a shit for them, and still don't.  Reality.

PkrBum wrote:This is new spending/largesse into an enormous wasteful and ineffectual bureaucracy that isn't improving under this administration. This has nothing to do with outcomes... it's pandering and a political ploy to reframe another failure.

boards of FL wrote:

PkrBum wrote:This is new spending/largesse into an enormous wasteful and ineffectual bureaucracy that isn't improving under this administration. This has nothing to do with outcomes... it's pandering and a political ploy to reframe another failure.

Herein lies the excuse for why we cannot spend $28 billion dollars on benefits for our veterans. A middle-aged random internet guy whose libertarian influences persisted beyond high school says that, it's like, the government...or something. Good job as usual, PkrBum. Good job.

This is also why republican voters are perceived as being stupid. They say "Obama is killing our vets" as they vote for the very politicians who deny medical benefits to our vets.

PkrBum wrote:

boards of FL wrote:

PkrBum wrote:This is new spending/largesse into an enormous wasteful and ineffectual bureaucracy that isn't improving under this administration. This has nothing to do with outcomes... it's pandering and a political ploy to reframe another failure.

Herein lies the excuse for why we cannot spend $28 billion dollars on benefits for our veterans.   A middle-aged random internet guy whose libertarian influences persisted beyond high school says that, it's like, the government...or something.  Good job as usual, PkrBum.  Good job.

This is also why republican voters are perceived as being stupid.  They say "Obama is killing our vets" as they vote for the very politicians who deny medical benefits to our vets.

Fine... so now you can blame pubs because obama hasn't fixed the va. Congratulations comrade.

The VA 2014 budget request for 2014 was $152.7 billion. This included $66.5 billion in discretionary resources and $86.1 billion in mandatory funding. The discretionary budget request represented an increase of $2.7 billion,or 4.3 percent,over the 2013 enacted level.

Wordslinger wrote:OK, our conservatives are against spending money on vets, but for it to close planned parenthood, against anything to improve the environment or reduce pollution, but for spending to increase military expenditures -- like training rebels fighters who could serve as our proxies against ISIS in Syria and Iraq -- for example, like we just spent several BILLION to train and arm FOUR -- THATS FOUR --  troops -- reality.  Yessirree sir, our conservatives want us to cut corporate taxes, and at the same time stop funding public schools ...  

It's good to know our enemies.