Senate GOP fails to restore vet pension cuts
In their final attempt to help the president keep his promise to not balance the budget on the backs of veterans, the Senate Republicans tried to shore up veterans’ pensions last night. However, Democrats were dead set against it, according to Fox News;
Ahead of the final vote, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., tried unsuccessfully to use a parliamentary tactic to force a vote on the amendment, which he wrote to undo the cuts for military retirees.
A provision in the already House-passed bill would cut retirement benefits for military retirees by $6 billion over 10 years.
Sessions wanted to instead eliminate an estimated $4.2 billion in annual spending by reining in an IRS credit that illegal immigrants have claimed.
He and fellow senators argued the bill unfairly sticks veterans and other military retirees with the cost of new spending.
“It’s not correct, and it should not happen,” Sessions said on the floor.
“By blocking my amendment, they voted to cut pensions for wounded warriors,” he said afterwards. “Senators in this chamber have many valid ideas for replacing these pension cuts, including my proposal to close the tax welfare loophole for illegal filers, and all deserved a fair and open hearing. But they were denied.”
According to the Washington Beacon, disabled veterans won’t be exempt from the cut in cost-of-living allowance adjustments;
“It has been asserted that the controversial change to military retirees’ pensions affects those who are ‘working-age’ and ‘still in their working years,’ with the clear suggestion being that these individuals are able to work,” Sessions said in a statement. “That’s why I was deeply troubled when my staff and I discovered that even individuals who have been wounded and suffered a service-related disability could see their pensions reduced under this plan.”
“It is unthinkable that this provision would be included in a deal that spares current civilian workers from the same treatment,” he said. “An equivalent amount of savings and more can be easily found, and I hope the Senate will move to address the unbalanced treatment of our servicemembers before considering the legislation any further.”
Gee, who could have predicted that Democrats would want to screw veterans while leaving the welfare queens relatively untouched? Oh, that’s right, I did back in 2008. Of course, the Democrats couldn’t have done it without the support of House Republicans who are more than happy to sell veterans down the river so they can look like they’re willing to compromise.
Category: Congress sucks, Veterans Issues
and a Hearty, Fuck you All very much was heard to echo from Senator Harry Reids office on Capital Hill.
@1: Yep, and not just Reid, but from the Senate republican offices, too.
If I hear one more person tell me that I need to vote for the R or the Ds will continue to win, I’m gonna throat punch them. This is an example of why I am not a republican, because the establishment republicans are no different than the democrats, so it really doesn’t matter which one gets elected. Fucking commie bastards. Every one of them that voted for this needs to be dick punched and if it’s a woman, kick her in the taco. I’m sure glad they didn’t want to mess with illegals getting their money from us. Fucking commie bastards.
@2 Damn do I hear you on that. The Political Class cares one shit less about you and I… it is all about maintaining their own poliical power and keeping that money flowing in.
Yeah, I’m with OT on that paper-thin wall of separation between those who sport the red ties and those who sport the blue ones. This was all a set up. The Housr REPUBLICANS delivered this package to the Senate and then, the games began. Those who had not a scintilla of interest in avoiding the horrendous damge to be worked upom military retirees were able to vote FOR the amendment while knowing damn well that the vote was meaningless. At least there is transparency in one branch of government: We can see right through the legislature’s bullshit.
No surprise here. Same old, same old, until election time comes around and they will all conveniently forget how much they screwed vets but patted wetbacks on the back.
I would get pissed, but what did we expect? We expected honorable conduct from dishonorable people and act surprised when we get screwed.
Those people were not going to support veterans. They know we are going to take our lumps and keep on trucking, unlike illegals or other entitled assholes who will take to the streets if you deny them their free shit.
And anyone who was surprised that Republicans would not fight for us is a special kind of stupid. Republicans normally lead the charge to cut the military after wars or during budget problems.
No, these are just politicians being the pandering, lying, gutless, dishonorable piles of shit that we knew they were. No surprise to this vet. No surprise at all.
Wait. Am I reading that correctly? The cut to military will save 6 Billion over a combined 10 years, so 600 million a year.
One guy said let’s get rid of this credit that illegals use to the tune of 4.2 Billion a year instead, and they said no??
42 billion vs 6 Billion over 10 years , so we can help illegals instead of vets. I’m speechless
Someone please explain to me when it was that a wetback became more important than a native-born American?
I’m still trying to figure out why, why, these stupid Politicians continue to be in office…..scrap the lot of them and start over.
Ex-PH2, I’m certain it’s because Vets don’t vote democrat en masse like illegals and welfare flunkies do!
Yep, what Gunny said. “We expected honorable conduct from dishonorable people and act surprised when we get screwed.”
First step in turning it around? Fighting like crazy to take the government back from the privleged classes and enact strict term limits. The LESS experience in Washington the better. Serving there was never supposed to be a full time career.
And ‘We The People’ are mostly to blame, quit voting for the bastards!
My mom once asked why I never vote (and I never have, to this day.) I explain that I’m not going to stand in line for two hours so that I can choose between two identical sets of crooks and phonies to screw me and my family over for another two, four or six years.
I’ll go to a Tea Party rally, I’ll even write my Senator or Congressman if something important gets me motivated, but I’ll be goddamned if I’ll go to some school or community center and “pretend” I’m making a difference with my vote. I’d shit-can the whole lot of them and start over completely fresh if it was up to me, but since it isn’t, FIDO…
We better take a lesson from nature here, and soon. You can’t just ask parasites to leave. They have to be forced out.
Remember this, too: left unchecked, parasites with kill their host.
This was political theatre, nothing more. If senate Republicans really wanted to help vets they could’ve filibustered this instead of allowing a vote they knew damn well would pass. The house repubs get to look bad and the senators can still pretend to give a shit about vets. Don’t be fooled.
It’s called building the future voter database (Dems) and a big Fuck you very much vets.
PH2 – do the Washington math. 12 million illegals, over 15% of the pupulation Hispanic. Hell of a demographic if they can figure out a way to make sure all of ’em vote…. and giving money away is how you buy votes. Veterans? At most 3 million people who skew Republican….screw ’em.
Former 11B, I have to agree. As for every pol that voted for that, FUCK ‘EM ALL to death up the ass sideways with a rusty six foot long pipe while they’re sitting and spinning on a pile of diarrhea-soaked rusty tangled concertina wire right after they’ve been violently ass-raped by a pissed off grizzly bear with AIDS and the sonofabitch that was mean enough to give it to him! And I wish for any pol that even thinks of staying on the “Fuck-the-Vets Bandwagon” to get violently ass-raped by a pissed-off Honey Badger with syphilis and the clap while that critter tears their scalps off just for shits& giggles!!
And yet, it’s far less than Barney Frank wanted, before the 2008 elections: http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/2008/10/far-left-call-for-military-cuts-during-war-before-they-have-the-absolute-power.html
25% cuts
@5 You got that right! Here in my liberal, left State of Washington, they cannot give away enough to the wetbacks and illegals from every country. We have more Russians and Ukrainians than Europe it seems. But ask the POTUS, Congress and the DoD to stand up and stand by the military and they laugh. They have NO legal responsibility to illegals yet give them everything. They HAVE a legal responsibility to honor their commitments to our veterans and retirees and they simply legislate it away. What a shame. I mean what an awful shame and statement of what the powers that be think of the ones who keep this nation free and keep them in power by vote instead of coup.
Well I hope everyone turns out to vote them out of office in 2014.That you POTUS you fucking pos.
The President and Congress are not listening to us, the citizens. King George and Parliament didn’t listen to us either. As to veterans, this situation is nothing new. Let me leave you with the words of Centurion Marcus Flavinius, Second Cohort, Augusta Legion to his cousin Tertullus in Rome. No date given, though likely of the 1st Century A.D. “We had been told, on leaving our native soil, that we were going to defend the sacred rights conferred on us by so many of our citizens settled overseas, so many years of our presence, so many benefits brought by us to populations in need of our assistance and our civilization. “We were able to verify that all this was true, and because it was true, we did not hesitate to shed our quota of blood, to sacrifice our youth and our hopes. We regretted nothing, but whereas we over here are inspired by this frame of mind, I am told that in Rome factions and conspiracies are rife, that treachery flourishes, and that many people in their uncertainty and confusion lend a ready ear to the dire temptations of relinquishment and even to vilify our actions. “I cannot believe that all this is true, and yet recent wars have shown how pernicious such a state of mind could be and to where it could lead. “Make haste to reassure us, I beg you, and tell us that our fellow citizens understand us, support us, and protect us as we ourselves are protecting the glory of the Empire. “If it should be otherwise, if we should have to leave our bleached bones on these desert sands in vain, then beware the fury of the Legions.” ———————————————— Veterans, Soldiers & Sailors, and our citizens will bear many indignities, will put up with much that should not be tolerated, in order to protect & secure our Constitution, our liberties & freedoms. We have always done so. There comes a point, however, where they will reach their limit. When that point is reached, then those who will not listen close their ears at their… Read more »
Obviously, left/liberal Democrats don’t feel they’ll ever get support from veterans so the heck with military retirees’ pensions… Saul Alinsky’s mentor Frank Nitti would be proud.
I am in “throw the bums out mood”. My default position is to vote against all incumbents. I will make exceptions but need a strong affirmative reason to do so, based on certain criteria
If it were up to me, were I the Emperor of things, only legal, taxpaying citizens would be allowed to vote. All illegals…no. All welfare bums…no. All people receiving any entitlements…no. Plain and simple. I would have included only landowners but I know there are a lot of hard working, taxpaying, renters out there trying to eek out a living on minimum wage. I know my view would have the Democrats fainting at the thought and changing sides of the aisle because the ones keeping them in office would be out of the equation.
I will see the Republican in Hell first before I ever vote for one of them again. It is well past time for a third party to be established that actually cares about the welfare of this country’s citizens.
Personally, I think all benefits such as welfare and the privilege to vote should be linked to mandatory military service. You want welfare? You better have done 2-3 yrs in the military. You want your student loans paid off? You better do 8-10 yrs in the military. You want to run for public office? 4-6 yrs minimum. No waivers. No excuses.