Senate rejects bill on veterans benefits

townsend

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/27/veterans-legislation-bernie-sanders-senate/5859217/

The largest piece of veterans legislation in decades -- aimed at expanding health care, education and other benefits -- was rejected Thursday by the Senate on a procedural issue after proponents failed to obtain 60 votes to keep the bill alive.

Wrangling over an issue -- veterans -- that often receives bipartisan support, the legislation died on a vote of 56-41, with only two Republicans voting for it.
Most Republicans said it was too large, too costly and would burden a Department of Veterans Affairs already struggling to keep up with promised benefits.
Sen Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent and chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee who authored the bill, argued that many provisions in the bill have won bipartisan support in other pieces of pending legislation before Congress.
Republicans complained about how to pay for it. Sanders' legislation had more than 140 provisions costing $21 billion over 10 years.
Most of that money was to come from billions of dollars the government projected it would be allowed to spend on wars overseas in the fight against al-Qaeda.But Republicans argued that this is "phony" budgeting becasue U.S. participation in the Iraq War is over and operations in Afghanistan are winding down.
The legislation would have restored cost-of-living increases for the pensions of future military retirees; expanded VA health care by allowing acquisition of 27 new medical facilities and paid for reproductive services for 2,300 troops wounded in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
It also would have expanded compensation for family caregivers of disabled veterans — something now provided for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan — to families of veterans of all wars.
The bill was supported by nearly all veterans groups.
"Can we put politics aside for the good of our nation's veterans?" Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., former chairwoman of the VA committee, argued in urging its passage. "Can we show these heroes that - despite our differences - we will work as diligently toward getting them the benefits and care they've earned as they have worked for our nation?"
"Before we expand that system," argued Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., "what is needed is rigorous oversight and debate about how we're doing what we're doing now...When access is delayed, that's care denied."

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It's fun how every time we need to go to war Republicans have no problem finding the money, but when people come back, we just can't afford to help. Shame Boeing or GE can't benefit from expanded VA benefits otherwise they'd be approved out the ass.
 

BipolarFuk

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I guess these guys should just suck it up and go get a fucking better job or education too.
 

cml750

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It is truly sad. The Tea Party is what the Republicans used to be. The Republicans are now what the Democrats used to be and the Democrats have fallen off of the left side of oblivion. They have gone bat shit crazy left although mainstream Republicans are very close to them. it just goes to show you the power of the uber left mainstream media and the naivety of some people you would generally think of as being very sane.
 
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Clay_Allison

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It is truly sad. The Tea Party is what the Republicans used to be. The Republicans are now what the Democrats used to be and the Democrats have fallen off of the left side of oblivion. They have gone bat shit crazy left although mainstream Republicans are very close to them.
The Republicans just are what they are, a bunch of corrupt lawyers who pretend they believe things then steal whatever isn't nailed down. There's not a Republican in office now that believes in anything. They just posture and blow smoke and their supporters vote for them while shaking their heads, or just stay home because Romney or McCain just aren't worth the drive down to the polls. I'm in the staying home crowd again. I won't put my vote behind a single one of these ass clowns.
 

Clay_Allison

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It is truly sad. The Tea Party is what the Republicans used to be. The Republicans are now what the Democrats used to be and the Democrats have fallen off of the left side of oblivion. They have gone bat shit crazy left although mainstream Republicans are very close to them.
The Republicans just are what they are, a bunch of corrupt lawyers who pretend they believe things then steal whatever isn't nailed down. There's not a Republican in office now that believes in anything. They just posture and blow smoke and their supporters vote for them while shaking their heads, or just stay home because Romney or McCain just aren't worth the drive down to the polls. I'm in the staying home crowd again. I won't put my vote behind a single one of these ass clowns.
 

cml750

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The Republicans just are what they are, a bunch of corrupt lawyers who pretend they believe things then steal whatever isn't nailed down. There's not a Republican in office now that believes in anything. They just posture and blow smoke and their supporters vote for them while shaking their heads, or just stay home because Romney or McCain just aren't worth the drive down to the polls. I'm in the staying home crowd again. I won't put my vote behind a single one of these ass clowns.
So are you saying you stay home and do not vote Democrat??? I have not read through all these threads to see your history so I do not know. Staying at home is better than the alternative. I have held my nose and voted in a lot of elections but for the lesser of two evils. Everyone has a choice when it comes down to it but not participating at all leaves us with idiot douche bags like Obama. The Republicans these days truly disgust me too. They are way too far to the left for me and have ZERO spine to stand up to the leftist agenda save Ted Cruz and Rand Paul and a few others.
 

Clay_Allison

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So are you saying you stay home and do not vote Democrat??? I have not read through all these threads to see your history so I do not know. Staying at home is better than the alternative. I have held my nose and voted in a lot of elections but for the lesser of two evils. Everyone has a choice when it comes down to it but not participating at all leaves us with idiot douche bags like Obama. The Republicans these days truly disgust me too. They are way too far to the left for me and have ZERO spine to stand up to the leftist agenda save Ted Cruz and Rand Paul and a few others.
Yeah, I'm saying I won't vote. I didn't vote last election because I 100% believe that Romney would be exactly the same as Obama. I'm not taking part in a Kang and Kodos election.
 

cml750

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Yeah, I'm saying I won't vote. I didn't vote last election because I 100% believe that Romney would be exactly the same as Obama. I'm not taking part in a Kang and Kodos election.
I can respect that but it is also why Obama won. Romney would have been much farther left than other Republicans but hell Stalin was probably to the right of Obama. You can;t complain about Obama if you stayed home. Sometimes you have to hold your nose and vote for the lesser of two evils. I hope a true conservative comes out of this primary so people like you do not stay home. We are still the way too silent majority. Had people like you voted we might have defeated Obamacare which is the worst legislation in history.
 

Clay_Allison

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I can respect that but it is also why Obama won. Romney would have been much farther left than other Republicans but hell Stalin was probably to the right of Obama. You can;t complain about Obama if you stayed home. Sometimes you have to hold your nose and vote for the lesser of two evils. I hope a true conservative comes out of this primary so people like you do not stay home. We are still the way too silent majority.
Voting for Romney would only encourage the party to nominate another, even more liberal guy next time. You can't reward that behavior.
 

cml750

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Voting for Romney would only encourage the party to nominate another, even more liberal guy next time. You can't reward that behavior.
It is really hard to argue with you on that point but I just had to vote against Obama.
 

cml750

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Voting for Romney would only encourage the party to nominate another, even more liberal guy next time. You can't reward that behavior.
Just out of curiosity, who do you support now in the primary?
 

Clay_Allison

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Just out of curiosity, who do you support now in the primary?
It was Rand until he voted against this bill, as did Rubio and Cruz. I might as well just vote for Trump or Carson and watch the clown show.
 

L.T. Fan

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It was Rand until he voted against this bill, as did Rubio and Cruz. I might as well just vote for Trump or Carson and watch the clown show.
Does anyone know what was in the bill that was a turn of for the Republicans? I would think as a general matter they would be in favor of supporting the military especially since they were on a mission to get the VA to right their ship.
 

Clay_Allison

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Does anyone know what was in the bill that was a turn of for the Republicans? I would think as a general matter they would be in favor of supporting the military especially since they were on a mission to get the VA to right their ship.
I've heard the excuse from about six different people that there must have been some Democrat booby trap in the bill, but no one has come up with it. The quotes I've read from the politicians that made the votes just said it was "too expensive". As in, it's not too expensive to fight the wars and create a bunch of disabled vets, but it's way too expensive to give them the health care they deserve afterwards.
 

L.T. Fan

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I've heard the excuse from about six different people that there must have been some Democrat booby trap in the bill, but no one has come up with it. The quotes I've read from the politicians that made the votes just said it was "too expensive". As in, it's not too expensive to fight the wars and create a bunch of disabled vets, but it's way too expensive to give them the health care they deserve afterwards.
I confess my ignorance of the bill but it's not like Republicans to leave the military high and dry. They are proponents of 'reestabliishing the military levels to where they once were.
 

Clay_Allison

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I confess my ignorance of the bill but it's not like Republicans to leave the military high and dry. They are proponents of 'reestabliishing the military levels to where they once were.
They are proponents of military spending if it helps Lockheed-Martin or any of the myriad lobby-supported contractors in the military industrial complex, but about veterans they couldn't give less of a shit.

It's similar to how they are big on law and order but vote against pay, benefits, and training for Law Enforcement because it's "too expensive".
 

townsend

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I confess my ignorance of the bill but it's not like Republicans to leave the military high and dry. They are proponents of 'reestabliishing the military levels to where they once were.
That means they "care" about active duty service (which they actually don't otherwise soldiers in Iraq wouldn't have been asking for body armor from their parents).

It's bullshit pandering that is about establishing the U.S. As a strong nation. Not actually benefitting the military. It means they'll pay the NFL 50 million dollars for a military centric halftime ceremony to boost recruiting, then turn down a bunch of VA claims when those soldiers they recruited get a TBI, PTSD, or one of the millions of other ways service members get fucked up for stupid politicians dick measuring contests.
 

shane

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There was probably a lot of pork and other horseshit crammed into this massive bill. The fact that Bernie Sanders was the author is a dead giveaway. I'm glad they killed it.
 

Cowboysrock55

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There was probably a lot of pork and other horseshit crammed into this massive bill. The fact that Bernie Sanders was the author is a dead giveaway. I'm glad they killed it.
Pretty much exactly this. They put a name on the bill about veterans so that the Republicans looks like assholes when it doesn't get passed but there is far more to the bill then just helping veterans. It also has a lot to do with spending more money that we don't have. Which is kind of a Bernie Sanders go to.
 
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