Originally via Ace.
Someone is playing politics and being dishonest with veteran benefits.
Despite Republican grumbling, House and Senate negotiators on Thursday agreed to tack a $65 billion bill funding the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction onto a $151 billion bill for the Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education departments. The Veterans Affairs measure is about $4 billion more than Bush’s budget request, and the Labor-HHS-Education bill would add $10 billion to the president’s proposal.
“Where does this process take us except to delay getting vital needed funds to our veterans?” said Rep. Roger Wicker (Miss.), ranking Republican on the corresponding House subcommittee.
Bush and congressional Republicans are protesting Democratic efforts to tie the two measures together, arguing that the majority is holding veterans’ money hostage for an incremental increase in domestic policy programs.
Bush has threatened to veto the Labor-HHS measure, but not the spending bill for veterans and military construction.
So let's review. Democrats want to tie the veteran bill to a Labor, HHS and Education bill that they know President Bush will veto. So who is to blame here?
“It will be up to Republicans in the Senate whether they want to turn [their] back on our veterans right before Veterans Day,” said Patty Murray of Washington, a member of Senate Democratic leadership who sits on the Appropriations Military Construction and Veterans Affairs subcommittee.
Now there is a big surprise, Senator Patty "Not A Rocket Scientist" Murray claims it is the Republicans that want to turn their backs on veterans. Is she a liar or just plain stupid. Sadly, it seems she is both.
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