nhboy
Ubi bene ibi patria
Link to original article.
"This week, the Senate voted on the Veterans Jobs Corp Act, which would have provided much-needed jobs training programs for veterans, who have an unemployment rate higher than the national average despite their superior skill sets.
While the bill was expected to pass with wide-measures of bipartisan support, a Republican filibuster effectively killed the bill with a 58-40 vote.
Five Republican senators voted with the Senate Democrats, but the bill still fell two votes shorts of cloture needed to overcome the Republican filibuster. Notably, four Republican cosponsors of the bill — Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, John Boozman of Arkansas, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, and Richard Burr of North Carolina — all voted against their own bill, resulting in a failure of policy for Americans most deserving of government support.
To be clear, this bill should not be controversial, nor should it be viewed through a partisan lens. According to an article published by The Hill, “The $1 billion bill was to have paid for itself with new revenue over 10 years.”
The Republican critique of the act asserts that the bill could license the Veterans Administration to spend profligately in violation of the budget bill, while Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the chairwoman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, responds that adopting this view would place a hard cap on spending, potentially limiting the ability of the VA to best serve veterans.
Democrats and Republicans both loudly proclaim support for troops; however, this vote suggests that one party might be rhetorically but not substantively supportive of Veterans interests."
"This week, the Senate voted on the Veterans Jobs Corp Act, which would have provided much-needed jobs training programs for veterans, who have an unemployment rate higher than the national average despite their superior skill sets.
While the bill was expected to pass with wide-measures of bipartisan support, a Republican filibuster effectively killed the bill with a 58-40 vote.
Five Republican senators voted with the Senate Democrats, but the bill still fell two votes shorts of cloture needed to overcome the Republican filibuster. Notably, four Republican cosponsors of the bill — Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, John Boozman of Arkansas, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, and Richard Burr of North Carolina — all voted against their own bill, resulting in a failure of policy for Americans most deserving of government support.
To be clear, this bill should not be controversial, nor should it be viewed through a partisan lens. According to an article published by The Hill, “The $1 billion bill was to have paid for itself with new revenue over 10 years.”
The Republican critique of the act asserts that the bill could license the Veterans Administration to spend profligately in violation of the budget bill, while Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the chairwoman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, responds that adopting this view would place a hard cap on spending, potentially limiting the ability of the VA to best serve veterans.
Democrats and Republicans both loudly proclaim support for troops; however, this vote suggests that one party might be rhetorically but not substantively supportive of Veterans interests."
