Associated Press
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R) of Alabama led the charge against the Veterans Job Corps Act.
With a major national election just seven weeks away, senators would have to be out of their minds to reject a jobs bill for U.S. military veterans, right?
Veterans won't be getting a new, billion-dollar jobs program, not from this Senate. Republicans on Wednesday afternoon blocked a vote on the Veterans Job Corps Bill after Jeff Sessions of Alabama raised a point of order -- he said the bill violated a cap on spending agreed to by Congress last year.
The bill's sponsor, Patty Murray of Washington, said that shouldn't matter, since the bill's cost was fully offset by new revenues. She said Mr. Sessions and his party colleagues had been furiously generating excuses to oppose the bill, and were now exploiting a technicality to deny thousands of veterans a shot at getting hired as police officers, firefighters and parks workers, among other things.
The bill needed 60 votes to advance. The final tally was 58 to 40, and all 40 opponents of the proposal were Republicans.
As proposals go, this should have been a no-brainer. The Veterans Job Corps Act of 2012, sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), sought to lower unemployment among military veterans, giving grants to federal, state, and local agencies, which in turn would hire veterans -- giving priority to those who served on or after 9/11 -- to work as first-responders and in conservation jobs at national parks.
The bill was fully paid for, and entirely bipartisan -- Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) had his own set of ideas for the bill, and Murray incorporated all of them into her legislation.
And yet, all but five Senate Republicans voted to kill it anyway, 48 days before a national election. Even Burr sided with his party to defeat the bill, and it was filled with his provisions.
A New York Times editorial added the other day, "It makes sense for the 99 percent of Americans to find new ways to pay their debt to the 1 percent who serve in uniform. To most people, Senator Murray's bill would seem like one decent way to do that. But not if you're one of those Republicans in Washington who thinks it's more important in an election year to deny Democrats a success or accomplishment of any kind."
Leave a Comment:
And yet just about every military person I have met is 100 percent, dyed in the wool Republican. To me that doesn't make sense on many levels.
I think that is changing but it takes time. It is funny as well that most Dems who were presidents or presidential candidates have superior military records i.e. JFK, Kerry, Carter.
Johanna,
That is not true anymore!! It is changing. I see it changing even in the officer corps! I think this "brand" of Republicans is having something to do with that!!
As Romney said. if you do not have money you are not someone he or the GOP is going to worry about..
"When you control the bread on a man's table you can control the man." A quote from Hitlers playbook on how to control the German people.
Looks like what they are objecting to are the riders attached to the bill once it left the House. These look to me like they are to cut funding for deepwater drilling and to revoke passports for tax offenders.
I can see how Republican Senators would get their undies in a bunch over either of these, especially the tax offender stuff.
You can read about it here:
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s3457/text
Sounds to me like a well-intended effort to keep Willard from annoying any more of our allies... am I wrong? Prove it.
I demand to see the long-form worth certificates!
Vulture/Voucher 2012
Proving Two Rights DO Make a Wrong!
;-)
Hey you 47%'ers, No veteran jobs bill, we need to make sure all these jobs don't go on the record as Jobs created by government. If we contract these tasks to private business people who then hire people then they become private jobs. Remember government doesn't create jobs, we just give contracts and money to the jobs creators who then create jobs. A mercenary military is coming your way soon. Led by the plutocrat generals scared of their shadows and who have ducked service to their country. But put a dollar in front of the Mittster crowd and those of his ilk will run over you, your grandma, and your little dog too.
Jeff Session is a totally dispicable person. He will hurt vets to hurt Obama. To quote my Grandpa, "he should be run out of town on a rail
The nation is starting to take notice of the actions the the Republicans are doing in Washngton, D.C. Clearly, they are not doing what their constituents sent them there to do and it is beginning to affect the general population of the party. It seems they have forgotten the masses that they represent, and have taken up the "personal" mantle of going against the Obama adminstration, specifically concentration on being against President Obama. All of this even, to the point of forsaking Bills and Legislation that would be beneficial to the very people that voted to send them to Washington.
If this doesn't tell everyone what the Republicans think of our Veterans nothing else will. I guess they think its ok to send these kids off to be killed and maimed but they don't need help when they get home damaged. What's really unfortunate is that these pricks sleep just fine at night. Lets see Romney explain this away.
I don't think Libertarians would have voted against this benefit. Shame on you again, Republicans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht4lj5klsc4
I can't wait for new Dem ads about this. Republicans are idiot bastards and all of them need to be voted out.
The Rethuglican Party serves no legitimate purpose.
Can I vote now?
Yes, and often! :>}
(I know, I'm just kidding - just wanted to get those "ID Please" people all excited!)
Yes - depending on where you live. "Early voting" has already started in NC, IN, & KY.
Vulture/Voucher 2012
Proving Two Rights DO Make a Wrong!
;-)
One motivation for Republicans' opposition to the bill is that it would have been at least partially funded by increased taxes on health insurance companies. These are the same companies that Republicans catered to by vehemently opposing a public option in ACA. Everyone will now be required to buy insurance from these private companies, who will make a lot more money. But Zeus forbid they should pay more in taxes. We know who the Republicans are working for, and it's not you and me.
I do hope this backfires in November!
Vote out all Republicans, all down the ticket. Even the apologists.
If voters can re-elect Obama they can also take away the Obstructionist Rep#blican majority!
Of course they will. The hope here is that Mr. Romney will win the election, then they would pass this bill gladly and take credit for it. They would pass a great many things they are objecting to, because it is OK to spend money, as long as they are the ones spending the money.
The fact that it requires SIXTY per cent of the senate to pass a bill is stupidity at its finest. These guys could not get 60% of the senators to agree that gravity is real. The senate rules need to be changed. i see NOTHING in the constitution about a fillibuster proof majority, so why do these idiots do it?
Only 51% should be the test. Right now nothing gets done for the people. It is time to give the president the tools to straighten our economy. Vote Democrat.
I heard the repubs don't like mom's apple pie!
Yeah ... they undoubtedly would throw their own mothers under the bus.
Do they even know what an apple pie is. Seems to be a little mundane for the republicans.
Obstructionism... plain and simple... and disgraceful! Utterly disgraceful!
Considering the bill did not go through the appropriate committee process and the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hasn’t investigated whether the veterans jobs programs in existence today even WORK, they did the RIGHT thing. Our taxpayer money is being wasted thru all of government on duplicate programs in the SAME departments that are failures! Why, when we are BROKE would we pass a bill like this without the appropriate investigation?
Our Constitution outlines how our government is supposed to work. The Congress, especially the Democrats regularly work around the system. The Obamacare bill was generated in the Senate, when only the House of Representatives have the power of the purse. Democrat Leader of the Senate Harry Reid refuses to even allow the 38 jobs bills passed by the House to be reviewed, much less voted on. In addition there are 42 bills to block regulations, encourage entrepreneurship, increase domestic energy production and fix the tax code the are being blocked by Harry Reid. The Senate has not met their legal obligation to pass a Federal Budget, it has been 1,237 days since a Federal Budget was passed.
Obama himself issues Executive Orders left and right to circumvent the Congress, and seems to be proud of it .
This is a Democratic political ploy, not a bill designed to help our veterans.
The government should never attempt to be a job creator, that is the free markets’ job.
New troll.
Member Since: 9/2012 Last Seen: 9/19/2012
oncearepublican
Shoo - scoot back to Fox or Redstate!
Yes, I will leave you to your baseless arguments so you can continue your propaganda circle-jerk with your fellow Obamabots.
The bill's sponsor, Patty Murray of Washington, said that shouldn't matter, since the bill's cost was fully offset by new revenues
The Leftist Lies:
"The bill was fully paid for, and entirely bipartisan"
NEW REVENUES is INCREASED TAXES
What else would you expect from a bunch of NO-Budget Barry supporters. Hide behind the crooked chauvinist Harry Reid.
You really mean it is a bill sponsored by Bill Nelson and the Dems need Florida.
Who makes the Senate Rules ? Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , Why Not a simple majority Vote to pass this? Yes, it was a real serious bipartisan bill and not a cynical election ploy exploiting Veterans for Obama 2012. Did MMFA help you write this?
Daniel,
If you weren't so idiotic or brainwashed or both, you would see that this IS NOT about "leftists", Obama, Reid, or any other of your "buzzwords", but about our VETERANS!
GET THAT? OUR VETERANS????
If you don't recognize the word "veteran", look it up on google - From your posts, I am assuming you've never cracked a dictionary!
And then go bother someone else with your tripe!!
Cloie46: You definitely have the information totally FALSE!! 41 Jobs bills have been INTRODUCED by the Republican House of Reps., AND Harry Reid, Senate MAJORITY Leader has REFUSED to even allow them to come up for a vote~~~ Re "jobs for vets", these people are very well educated, skilled and talented. Perhaps they do not WANT to have GOVERNMENT JOBS!!!!
Trolls have some wierd self-serving ideas about what constitutes a "jobs bill".
Are you aware that all veterans have already held government jobs?
Yes, because TeaPublicans are all about the Jobs.
Shame on you, Republicans.
Now we know what Obama meant by "change" he meant to change the politicians in congress and senate.(I would capatilize those names but they con't deserve it) Is it any wonder that there is no respect for these useless people. It must not mean much that the American people find these people out of touch with reality. It is time we change the diapers they are beginning to smell and are pandering to a very small group who seem hell bent to destroy America and it's way of life. Turn out to vote for without your vote you will lose all your rights and your childrens and grandchildrens rights.............
They must not believe in their own "job creator" myth.
Shame on them for putting their hate for President Obama before those who love their country enough to voluntarily fight for it.
Romney and Ryan have hung themselves. The GOP Congress hung themselves awhile back. People are starting to see through "the smog" of the GOP. They will pay!
These People , these people should charged with plotting the down fall of America. But what is more they should be labeled as extreme Blasphemers using the name of God as they shake their Bibles in the face of the very people they are victimizing and yet they still find time while hiding behind their pin on flags and and booming cries of patriotism to spit into the faces and wounds of the brave men and women who are fighting and dying for the very right that are being stripped a way from them.
"The Audacity of Pontification is indeed disgusting!" -By D.K.Wiltshire
Finally someone is saying something smart. I say when we start jailing these political crooks then we will see the true meaning of justice.
Get rid of the bastard Republicans