"Too generous," John McCain stated before casting his no vote on the new G.I. Bill, a measure which would increase benefits to veterans, including provisions for post-service educational opportunities.
What made this especially ironic was the multi-millionaire Senator from Arizona gleefully accepts a lifetime veterans disability benefit of $58,000.00 tax free each year. No, he is not disabled in the technical sense. According to McCain campaign strategist Mark Salter he is "technically disabled, as a result of being tortured for his country."
Not to worry, the Democrats got much of the bill tacked onto something even George Bush couldn't veto.....a $165 billion dollar War Funding Plan. The $165 billion measure puts no restrictions on money the Bush administration had requested to continue bankrolling the wars but includes money for key domestic priorities for House Democrats, namely more unemployment assistance for people who lose their jobs and an expansion of the G.I. Bill. The plan also included more than $2 billion for disaster assistance for areas in the Midwest dealing with massive flooding.
A first vote, on the war funding, was approved 268-155. A second vote on the domestic money passed 416-12. President Bush and many congressional Republicans had resisted extending unemployment benefits, but the compromise bill includes another 13 weeks of assistance. Democrats had been pushing for extending benefits to laid-off workers as unemployment rates continue to rise. Apparently extended unemployment benefits during a disastrous Bush administration economy was "too generous" as well..... Man's inhumanity to man.
A first vote, on the war funding, was approved 268-155. A second vote on the domestic money passed 416-12. President Bush and many congressional Republicans had resisted extending unemployment benefits, but the compromise bill includes another 13 weeks of assistance. Democrats had been pushing for extending benefits to laid-off workers as unemployment rates continue to rise. Apparently extended unemployment benefits during a disastrous Bush administration economy was "too generous" as well..... Man's inhumanity to man.
Democrats also got Republican support for a college scholarships program for U.S. troops, known as a "new G.I. bill." This program expands educational benefits for veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan to pay for full four-year scholarships. House Democratic and Republican leaders reached an agreement on the plan Wednesday, and Bush administration officials said they were satisfied with the compromise.
No comments:
Post a Comment