With only two Senate Republicans voting in favor of the S. 1982: Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits and Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act of 2014, the majority of senate Republicans doomed the bill in a 58 to 40 vote recently that would have expanded healthcare and education benefits, as well as provide $21 million worth of aid to veterans over the next 10-years.
It’s not surprising that this story has not been a popular subject for re-tweets on Twitter or re-posting on Facebook. Especially from the Republican base when it comes to this story. The fact is that no party should be in the public eye for failing our Veterans. Unfortunately for Republicans on this issue, if the shoe fits….
With an overwhelming consensus from Senate Republicans that the bill was ‘too costly’, one would have to ask the question: Wouldn’t the care and support for our veterans be worth the cost? We were, by the way, able to pay for the wars that resulted in many of the special needs that our veterans now have. You would think that the politicians that are able to find the money to fund war expenses, would be able to find the money to fund services to better care for the veterans of foreign wars.
While this should be a very important story to share seeing as it could have an effect on the upcoming national elections, Democrats may not want to shine too bright a light on this as their most recent failure to veterans affairs came in the form of killing a bill in 2013 that would have helped fund Veterans Services and National Parks. It seems that the common denominator in these two failures are the added provisions that each side wanted to implement in each bill. While Democrats refused to compromise concerning added provisions regarding The Affordable Care act, it seems Republicans refused to stand behind a bill that would not include added sanctions against Iran regarding the country’s nuclear arms policy.
With this type of politics, that is apparently becoming the accepted norm, the same thing continues to happen: Nothing. While the elected powers that be continue with their petty power struggle, our Veterans, both active and retired, continue to pay the price, along with their families.
After it was shut down, the bill’s sponsor, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont had this to say, “Don’t tell me that enabling a family to have a child is a political issue. When you have a 70-year-old woman taking care of her husband who had both legs blown off in Vietnam, and she’s taking care of him 24 hours a day, don’t tell me that’s a political issue. I find it incredible that we had several Democrats come down to speak but very few Republicans, and then, when they did, I heard Iran sanctions and I heard Benghazi. Tell me what Benghazi or Iran sanctions have to do with caring for our veterans.”
Well said Mr. Sanders, well said.
