We long ago moved away from playing this-party-good-that-party-bad.
But last week, members of one party serving on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee really showed their ass.
This is from C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" last Wednesday:
In the US, today could have been a very important day for veterans.
Instead, some members of Congress -- on the Republican side -- elected
to play games and mess with veterans.
Senator Patty Murray has worked years to highlight a very serious
problem for many veterans. You are injured while serving. Your injury
may mean you and your spouse are unable to become pregnant.
Now if you're still active duty, if you're DoD and not under the VA, the
government will cover efforts at in vitro fertilization.
But if you're VA? No.
This isn't fair.
And Murray has led the fight for equality and the fight to see that
veterans have the same rights and opportunities as anyone else.
Today, she pulled her bill because some members of the Senate Veterans
Affairs Committee (on the Republican side) attempted to turn a veterans
issue into something else, a vote on Planned Parenthood, abortion and
other issues that had nothing to do with helping wounded veterans start
families.
Patricia Kim (Military Times) reports:
Murray called the amendments a "partisan attack on women's health,"
and said her bill, which passed the Senate in 2012 but failed in the
House over funding concerns, would have ensured that the nation is doing
"everything we can to support veterans who have sacrificed so much for
our country."
"I am so disappointed — and truly angry that
Republicans on the Veterans Affairs Committee decided yesterday to leap
at the opportunity to pander to their base, to poison the well with the
political cable news battle of the day, and turn their backs on wounded
veterans," she said.
Tillis said the amendments were not intended
"to kill in vitro fertilization." Rather, he said he has concerns about
veterans who are waiting to receive medical care or are being denied
care, including some of his constituents who have diseases related to
exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
"At some
point, it may make sense to add another half a billion dollars for this
medical treatment that's been proposed by my colleagues on the other
side of the aisle, but not until we're absolutely certain that the
promises we've already made going to be fulfilled," said Tillis, a
freshman congressman.
Oh, it's not worth money to help an injured veteran start a family?
The Camp Lejeune issue?
You want to block a nominee over that?
I'll support you, I'll defend you. I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican, I will support you.
And I have.
I've supported Senator Richard Burr on this issue. I've defended him
here for blocking a nominee or a bill because of this issue.
But I can't support using Camp Lejeune as an excuse for denying other veterans and their families in need.
I can't support.
I can't defend it.
I think it's outrageous and I'm deeply, deeply disappointed in Tillis
who I have had favorable impressions of as a result of recent Senate
Veterans Affairs Committee hearings.
He and others chose to play politics instead of standing up for veterans.
If he can't stand up for veterans, he really doesn't need to be on the Committee.
That's something only he can decide.
And I'm not calling for him to be ejected.
But this move wasn't about what was best for veterans.