Senate Republican Blocks a Cost of Living Increase for Disabled Veterans

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Last updated on February 8th, 2013 at 02:15 pm

According to Sen. Patty Murray, an anonymous Senate Republican is blocking a cost of living increase for America’s disabled veterans.

A Republican senator is using an anonymous hold to block the traditionally bipartisan cost of living adjustment that is given to America’s disabled veterans and their survivors.

Sen. Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee said in a statement, “This is stunning. Particularly because we still don’t have any indication why someone would block a cost-of-living adjustment for veterans and their surviving spouses, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet. This adjustment for our disabled veterans is hard earned and well deserved. My hope is that whichever Senator has decided to hold up this bill will at least come forward to own up to it. That way we can move forward to overcome their opposition and get our veterans the support they need.”

The anonymous senator used an informal custom referred to as a hold, which allows any member of the Senate to stop legislation from coming to the floor for a vote by notifying and getting agreement from the party leadership for their intentions.

While it is one senator who requested the hold, Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republican leadership had to be notified of his intention to prevent a bill that would have provided a cost of living adjustment for disabled veterans, surviving spouses and children of members of our military who died while serving their country.

You may have thought that Republicans couldn’t get any lower than voting against creating jobs for vets, but they have hit a new low by anonymously blocking financial support for disabled veterans and the children and spouses of those who gave their lives for their country. The Senate Republican who put the hold on the bill is doing so for purely political reasons.

There is no good reason why disabled vets and surviving children and spouses should be denied a cost of living adjustment. The political reason is that Senate Republicans don’t want to give President Obama a “win” before the November election, so they have decided harm a group of people who have sacrificed for their country.

The Senate Republican leadership agreed with the anonymous request because they only care about defeating Obama. They don’t care about disabled veterans, and the families those who have died for their country left behind. For Senate Republicans, it’s all about politics. How can they hurt Obama? How can make America like Obama less? How can they make Obama look like a bad president? These questions have defined the congressional Republican course of action.

Instead of making Obama look bad, this Senate Republican has demonstrated to voters why the GOP shouldn’t be returned to the majority. To at least one senate Republican disabled vets and survivors’ benefits don’t matter to Senate Republicans. All that matters is defeating Barack Obama.

This Senate Republicans knows what he is doing is wrong. The senator who put the hold on the bill could have had his name entered into the public record by raising his objection on the Senate floor. Instead, this one coward has decided to hide behind a procedural rule while denying millions of veterans and their families a cost of living adjustment.

The Senate Republican who did this, and the leadership that is quietly standing behind him are cowards.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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