Coburn named as senator holding up vets bill
Raymond
Photo; Republican Tom Coburn of Oklahoma
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Posted : Tuesday Nov 3, 2009 17:23:29 EST
Thirteen major military and veterans groups have joined forces to try
to force one senator — Republican Tom Coburn of Oklahoma — to release
a hold that he has placed on a major veterans benefits bill.
Coburn has been identified by Senate aides as the lawmaker preventing
consideration of S 1963, the Veterans’ Caregiver and Omnibus Health
Benefits Act of 2009, by using an informal but legal practice of
putting a hold on a bill.
Coburn’s staff did not respond to questions, but Senate aides said
the first-term senator has expressed concern about creating new and
unfunded benefits and wants the opportunity to amend the measure.
One of Coburn’s suggestions is to divert money from unspent economic
and job stimulus programs to cover costs of new benefits for veterans
and their families, according to sources who have discussed the issue
with Coburn’s staff.
So far, at least, Senate leaders don’t want to let Coburn offer any
amendments because of the precedent that would set to delay other
legislation. Actual funding for benefits traditionally is handled
separately from the bills that authorize the benefits, Senate aides
said.
Earlier this fall, Coburn placed holds on S 252, the Veterans Health
Care Authorization Act of 2009, and S 728, the Veterans’ Insurance
and Benefits Enhancement Act of 2009, which led to the introduction of
S
1963, which combines key provisions of the two earlier bills in an
effort to get around Coburn’s opposition.
In a letter sent Monday night to the Senate majority leader, Sen.
Harry Reid, D-Nev., the 13 military and veterans groups ask the
Senate to get on with it.
“It is essential that Congress act on this comprehensive measure
without further delay,” the letter reads. “Thousands of disabled
veterans with serious medical conditions and the family members who
care for them are counting on this additional support.”
The letter says passing the bill by Veterans Day would be a “fitting
way” to honor veterans.
Those signing the letter include the nation’s major veterans groups —
The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American
Veterans, AmVets, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Blinded Veterans
Association, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Vietnam Veterans of
America, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and Jewish War
Veterans, plus the Military Officers Association of America, National
Military Family Association and Wounded Warrior Project.
Steve Robertson, legislative director for The American Legion, said
delaying the bill hurts families caring for severely wounded combat
veterans who would benefit from the stipends, health care, counseling
and respite care that would be provided to caregivers in the bill.
“For a lot of family caregivers, delay is costing them their jobs and
their savings. It’s having a big impact,” he said.
Robertson said he has spoken to Coburn’s staff about the earlier
holds on S 252 and S. 728, but the conversation was fairly one-sided,
with
Coburn’s aides trying to get Robertson to dissuade veterans from
flooding the senator’s office with calls.
“They made it clear that Sen. Coburn sees this as using his rights as
a senator to place a hold on a bill, and that he was not doing
anything illegal or wrong,” Robertson said. “I agree with that, but
that doesn’t mean it makes sense to hold up a bill that would do a
lot of good things for veterans that has cleared a committee and is
ready
for a vote.”
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., the Senate assistant majority leader,
mentioned Coburn’s hold in a Tuesday floor speech without citing
Coburn by name, saying that the bill was being held up by one senator
over cost.
“How much is a veteran’s life worth?” Durbin asked, adding that he
hopes the hold is lifted.
Email the pig Coburn; How much is a veteran’s life worth?
”How much is his life worth?
coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSena...