Bernie Sanders for President
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 1:00 pmhttp://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/ ... ght_b.html
WASHINGTON -- Wednesday was battle No. 4 between Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., over legislation to authorize 27 veterans' health clinics, including for Lafayette and Lake Charles.
Vitter Wednesday requested his 4th unanimous consent from senators to move the legislation. But Sanders, chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, objected for the fourth time, once again urging Vitter to find three Republican votes to end a GOP filibuster on his more comprehensive veterans' legislation, which includes the okay for the 27 Veterans Administration clinics.
And Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who has been working with Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, to move a bill to push the stalled clinics forward, offered up her own proposal Wednesday. She asked unanimous consent to give Senate approval of legislation already passed 346-1 by the House to greenlight the clinics without offsetting the costs.
By passing the House bill, she said, the legislation would move directly to President Barack Obama for his signature.
But Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, objected, thereby blocking a vote. He acted on behalf of Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who wants the clinics paid for with budget offsets that Lee said are included in Vitter's proposal. Landrieu disagreed.
"The veterans that this is going to help in my view have already paid the price. They've already paid the price," Landrieu said. "They shouldn't have to pay twice. So I agree with the House of Representatives. There doesn't need to be an offset to this."
Wednesday's Vitter-Sanders battle was intense.
Vitter said 43 Republicans have objections to the Sanders bill, believing that the extra services the legislation would provide should be offset with spending cuts.
"In the meantime, can we at least agree what we agree on and not hold veterans hostage?" Vitter said. "They have had guns pointed at them before, but they don't expect U.S. senators to hold guns to their head and hold them hostage over veterans' clinics."
Sanders said Vitter should stop the GOP from blocking his comprehensive bill he said would bring needed services to veterans, not only from Afghanistan and Iraq, but Vietnam and Korea.
In an interview, Sanders said he wants to approve the VA clinics, including the two in Louisiana, but fears separating out a provision from his comprehensive legislation would lead to other attempts to separate away members' priority items -- making it harder to pass his bill.
"If you think it's too expensive, then don't send them off to war," Sanders said in his verbal joust with Vitter. "Taking care of veterans is a cost of the war. They (veterans) paid for it."
Vitter spoke in front of a large blue poster with a quote from a Sanders speech delivered in November, 2013, in which the Vermont senator said "where we have agreement, let's move it." Vitter said the same philosophy should apply with the veterans' clinics.
Sanders' legislation would improve medical and dental care services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In addition, educational opportunities would be expanded by guaranteeing that post-9/11 veterans recently discharged from the military are eligible for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities in any state. Sanders said that isn't the case for veterans who move, say from Vermont to Louisiana, or Louisiana to Vermont.
The bill would provide a two-year extension of the Veterans Retraining and Assistance Program, which retrains unemployed veterans for high demand occupations. The program has helped veterans find work and provided access to job training for more than 74,000 veterans.
The bill also includes a provision that would improve access to care and benefits for service members and veterans who experienced sexual trauma while serving in the military.
Sanders, who has said he'll consider a run for president in 2016, is scheduled to attend a town hall Saturday in New Hampshire, which holds the nation's first presidential primaries.
You guys should elect Bernie Sanders in 2016. He seems like a completely awesome dude, and he's got a ton of experience. This article demonstrates perfectly his character and intelligence - holding veterans hostage to get budget cuts is fundamentally immoral, and Sanders has the balls to say the things that need to be said.
Would you vote for Bernie Sanders?
WASHINGTON -- Wednesday was battle No. 4 between Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., over legislation to authorize 27 veterans' health clinics, including for Lafayette and Lake Charles.
Vitter Wednesday requested his 4th unanimous consent from senators to move the legislation. But Sanders, chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, objected for the fourth time, once again urging Vitter to find three Republican votes to end a GOP filibuster on his more comprehensive veterans' legislation, which includes the okay for the 27 Veterans Administration clinics.
And Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who has been working with Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, to move a bill to push the stalled clinics forward, offered up her own proposal Wednesday. She asked unanimous consent to give Senate approval of legislation already passed 346-1 by the House to greenlight the clinics without offsetting the costs.
By passing the House bill, she said, the legislation would move directly to President Barack Obama for his signature.
But Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, objected, thereby blocking a vote. He acted on behalf of Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who wants the clinics paid for with budget offsets that Lee said are included in Vitter's proposal. Landrieu disagreed.
"The veterans that this is going to help in my view have already paid the price. They've already paid the price," Landrieu said. "They shouldn't have to pay twice. So I agree with the House of Representatives. There doesn't need to be an offset to this."
Wednesday's Vitter-Sanders battle was intense.
Vitter said 43 Republicans have objections to the Sanders bill, believing that the extra services the legislation would provide should be offset with spending cuts.
"In the meantime, can we at least agree what we agree on and not hold veterans hostage?" Vitter said. "They have had guns pointed at them before, but they don't expect U.S. senators to hold guns to their head and hold them hostage over veterans' clinics."
Sanders said Vitter should stop the GOP from blocking his comprehensive bill he said would bring needed services to veterans, not only from Afghanistan and Iraq, but Vietnam and Korea.
In an interview, Sanders said he wants to approve the VA clinics, including the two in Louisiana, but fears separating out a provision from his comprehensive legislation would lead to other attempts to separate away members' priority items -- making it harder to pass his bill.
"If you think it's too expensive, then don't send them off to war," Sanders said in his verbal joust with Vitter. "Taking care of veterans is a cost of the war. They (veterans) paid for it."
Vitter spoke in front of a large blue poster with a quote from a Sanders speech delivered in November, 2013, in which the Vermont senator said "where we have agreement, let's move it." Vitter said the same philosophy should apply with the veterans' clinics.
Sanders' legislation would improve medical and dental care services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In addition, educational opportunities would be expanded by guaranteeing that post-9/11 veterans recently discharged from the military are eligible for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities in any state. Sanders said that isn't the case for veterans who move, say from Vermont to Louisiana, or Louisiana to Vermont.
The bill would provide a two-year extension of the Veterans Retraining and Assistance Program, which retrains unemployed veterans for high demand occupations. The program has helped veterans find work and provided access to job training for more than 74,000 veterans.
The bill also includes a provision that would improve access to care and benefits for service members and veterans who experienced sexual trauma while serving in the military.
Sanders, who has said he'll consider a run for president in 2016, is scheduled to attend a town hall Saturday in New Hampshire, which holds the nation's first presidential primaries.
You guys should elect Bernie Sanders in 2016. He seems like a completely awesome dude, and he's got a ton of experience. This article demonstrates perfectly his character and intelligence - holding veterans hostage to get budget cuts is fundamentally immoral, and Sanders has the balls to say the things that need to be said.
Would you vote for Bernie Sanders?