Veterans Take It In The Shorts Thanks Democrats – and One Republican (Guest Post)

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Senate Democrats have thumbed their noses at veterans of America’s military. They have sided with illegal aliens.

Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) proposed yesterday (9 Jan 14) a bill which would have replaced recent cuts to veteran’s pensions. The bill would also have closed a tax loophole that allows illegal aliens to access the Refundable Child Tax Credit. The bill was offered as an amendment to the unemployment benefits extension bill (S1845). The vote failed 54-42, with all Republicans – but Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) – voting for the amendment and against Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV). Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) voted with Republicans in favor of the amendment. Senator Ayotte argued her amendment “… would fix fraud in our tax code that really came to light in 2011 in a Treasury IG [Inspector General] report.”

When given a clear choice, all but one of the Democrats – and one Republican – sided with illegal aliens over military veterans.

As John Hawkins at Breitbart says:

It’s shameful that any member of Congress would choose to support illegal immigrants over American citizens, but it’s particularly grating that they put illegal aliens in front of our troops.

The pension cut of $6 billion over 10 years was brought about by the Ryan-Murray budget deal. The Ryan-Murray budget deal hikes federal spending by $65 billion over the next two years, with hikes “paid for” by budget cuts, increased fees, and reductions, one of which is a reduction in pension benefits to veterans younger than 62. The budget deal would reduce the yearly cost-of-living adjustments for these military veterans. It would even impact those veterans who were forced to retire due to injuries sustained in the service of our country.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) tried to amend the pension reduction in the Ryan-Murray budget by repealing the changes to military pensions, and also to eliminate a welfare program benefiting illegal immigrants. Sessions said:

Removing this unbalanced treatment of our military retirees ought to be one of the key actions we should take before this legislation moves forward. In fact, greater savings than this can be achieved by passing a legislative fix recommended by the Inspector General of the U.S. Treasury that would stop the IRS from improperly providing tax credits to illegal aliens.   [emphasis mine]

So all you Nevada residents, remember what Dean Heller did. And all you West Virginia residents, remember Joe Manchin. All Wisconsin residents, remember Paul Ryan as well.

Full Disclosure: I am a veteran. I served 22 years in the U.S. Army. I receive a pension. I am over 62 years old.

Cross-posted at The Pot Stirrer, my very conservative web site.

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Oddly… “and one Republican”

Just a reminder that the budget deal was passed by a majority of House Republicans. Which one reason I am not a Republican but a conservative.

Its all politics. Veterans and Regulars usually don’t vote Democrap. Illegals getting amnesty or voting by fraud will.

My old man was badly hurt in Holland. He came home in 46 and could not get a pension when he really needed it. As a fine conservative he made his fortune as a seed farmer. The Canadian government finally gave him a disability pension when he was in his 80’s. By then he had so much coin, the benefits were clawed back by income taxes. Like I say, its all politrics! Both countries need a major cleaning in all the political chambers.

@GeronL: Just a reminder that the budget deal was passed by a majority of House Republicans.

Not true,
That was NOT a budget DEAL, it was merely an outline.

Lawmakers have until January 15 to agree upon the specifics and avert another shutdown — a task that may be easier said than done.

January 15th.
Another shutdown.

Yesterday, the U.S. House made pans to take up a short-term spending bill to fund federal government operations past Jan. 15.
The spending bill would provide funding at current levels for three days, through Jan. 18
REUTERS
Three days!
But….they still have a number of funding and policy issues to resolve that will likely take through this weekend.

In other words, NOTHING of import passed when both Reps and Dems passed a plan to get them out over the Holidays.
And they are not able to place a bill on the table YET!

The GOP can’t do anything for the vets without some cynical pork related to illegals. It’s all for show so you can have your lame talking points. They themselves were responsible to the latest cuts to vets.

Republicans had no problem voting for the future veterans pension reduction in the first place. Republicans Paul Ryan and Chuck Hagel have, in fact, recently defended the cuts.

Here are Ryan’s comments in USA Today.

@This one:

When given a clear choice, all but one of the Democrats – and one Republican – sided with illegal aliens over military veterans.

the Dimocraps had a choice, they made it.

Like I said before, I wouldn’t mind having my military pension increases cut to cut the deficit if civilian government workers and welfare recipients had their annual increases cut as well. What sticks in my craw is that only military increases are being cut while the others are not. That is a slap in tbe face to veterans who actually earned their retirement benefits.

: Done.
Military employees have received a raise each year that Obama has been in the White House, but civilian pay has been flat over the last three years as members of Congress have tangled over the budget and the federal deficit.

So, there were no increases to civilian pay for the three years before this recent increase. Maybe you can get that faux outrage out of your craw now.

@Jason:
The military raises were the lowest under Obama since Carter. Military personnel get deployed to warzones and get shot at. Civilian government workers do not receive the low pay and deal with deployments that military personnel accept as part of their service.

Yes, and our pensions and benefits are much less for it.

And also, huh? You said you wouldn’t mind having your pension increases cut, but what “sticks in your draw” is only the military increases are being cut. True enough. Except for the recent increase in civilian pay, for the last three years there hasn’t been any civilian increases to cut. I wasn’t aware you were talking about deploying to war zones and getting shot at, because you were talking about cuts to pay increases.

@Jason:
Are you being deliberately obtuse? Military service includes combat duty, not something in the job description of civilian government jobs.

The gist of my statement was that it is quite unfair to solely cut military pension increases as a deficit reduction maneuver while avoiding cuts anywhere else in the federal budget. Since Obama took office, our national debt has been increased from $10.8 trillion to $17 trillion. Taxes coming in every year are roughly $2.8-$3 trillion, while annual expenditures are over $4 trillion. How long would your family finances withstand spending roughly 40% more than your annual income? There aren’t enough “rich” people to tax to make up the difference. Where is this money coming from? I am sure you know it is borrowed, and will have to be paid back. Our national credit rating has already been downgraded once under Obama, making the interest rates on the borrowed money even higher.

Baseline budgeting scams the politicians use to pretend like they are cutting spending when in fact such spending is still increasing every year only exacerbates the dire situation. It is long past time for real cuts in spending, which should include military pensions, congressional and government salaries, and welfare payments. We cannot just keep borrowing money, while spending more and more.

The vote failed 54-42, with all Republicans – but Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) – voting for the amendment and against Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV).

Heller is another RINO who ran claiming to be a Conservative. I fully expect him to get primary’ed.

AND WHO IS SPENDING THE MONEY AND INTEREST OWE TO THE VETERANS, SOME WOUNDED SEVERELY, AND BEING TOLD OF A BACKLOG OF 5 YEARS,
this is unacceptable and the aswer they get when they inquire about it,
who can be trust to look in seriously?
something stink in there definitly, and someone is spending that money and collecting the interest,
that one should be hang when found,and it will be found,
no backlog is admissible for the VETERANS, they need their money and need it now,
the DEPATMENT OF VA IS FOLOWING ORDERS TO HOLD THAT MONEY FOR SURE AND WE MUST KNOW the name of that thief, no matter his rank, because i think it come from
the highest RANKING COMMANDER, CORRUPT TO THE BONE, AND SPENDING THE VETERAN’S MONEY OUTRAGELY, THERE MUST BE A SEARCH DONE TO LOCALIZE THE SCUMS,
WHEN WE KNOW THAT HASSAN TERRORIST IS COLLECTING HIS MONEY STILL TODAY IS A BLATANT INEQUALITY OF JUSTICE, WHILE THE WARRIORS WHO GAVE SO MUCH ,
ARE TOLD TO WAIT FOR THEIR RIGHTFUL MONEY,
WHILE THAT MONEY IS GIVEN TO HASSAN TERRORIST ENEMY OF AMERICA, SOMEONE NEED TO BE HANG,
MAKE IT A PRIORITY, AND START DIGGING FOR THE SCUMS,