Coleman Votes to Strip Vets Funding Ahead of Veterans Day

11/08/2007

Coleman Changed Position, Voted To Strip Vets Funding After President Threatened Veto


St. Paul, MN (November 8, 2007) As Americans prepare to celebrate Veterans Day, Senator Norm Coleman yesterday voted to strip important funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs from the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill. Coleman had previously voted for both the Labor–HHS–Education and Military Construction–VA bills, but changed his position after President Bush threatened to veto the legislation.

“Senator Coleman, adding to his long-standing history of siding with the President over the people of Minnesota, yesterday voted to kill important funding for veterans just a few days before Veterans Day,” said Minnesota DFL Chair Brian Melendez. “Coleman consistently says one thing and does another. He consistently puts his loyalty to President Bush ahead of our state. And he consistently shows why he doesn’t deserve to represent Minnesota in the Senate.”

Coleman Flip-Flops, Votes to Strip Vets Funding Ahead of Veterans Day:

Coleman Votes to Kill Vets Funding Five Days Before Veterans Day. Senator Norm Coleman voted Wednesday to remove the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs bill from the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill. “Republicans killed $65 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and for military construction operations.” [Vote #404, 11/7/07; The Hill, 11/8/07]

President Bush Threatened to Veto Labor, HHS, Education and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Legislation. President Bush threatened to veto the combine bills because the Labor–HHS–Education bill would add $10 billion to his proposal. [The Hill, 11/8/07]

Legislation Provided Biggest VA Funding Increase Ever. The Democratic bill provides almost $88 billion for the Veterans Administration, the biggest increase ever, including $37 billion — $2.6 billion more than the President requested — for veterans’ health. The bill also includes funding to hire 1,800 new claims processors to help address the backlog of 400,000 unprocessed claims. [House Appropriations Committee, 11/6/07; CQ House Action Report, 11/6/07]

Coleman Has Long History of Voting Against Veterans Funding Increases. Coleman voted ten times against improving health care for veterans by closing corporate tax loopholes or cutting, limiting or deferring tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. [Vote #74, 3/21/03; Vote #81, 3/25/03; Vote #34, 3/9/04; Vote #343, 11/17/05; Vote #7, 2/2/06; Vote #15, 2/13/06; Vote #41, 3/14/06; Vote #63, 3/16/06; Vote #67; 3/16/06; Vote #222, 8/2/06]

Coleman Has Supported Bush on Key Votes 90.5% of Tenure in Senate. This figure represents the four-year average of Coleman’s Congressional Quarterly presidential support index. In his first year in the Senate, Coleman backed Bush a whopping 98% of the time. [Star Tribune, Big Question, 5/14/07]

New Study Shows Number of Uninsured Veterans Spiked in First Half of Decade – Twice As Fast as Uninsured in the General Population. “The number of uninsured veterans jumped sharply in the first half of the decade to 1.8 million in 2004, a new study shows. Conducted by researchers at the Harvard Medical School, the study shows the uninsured veteran population rose twice as fast as the uninsured in the general population.” [USA Today, 10/31/07]

Increase in Uninsured Veterans Coincided With Bush Policies Restricting Eligibility for Veterans Care. “The increase in veterans lacking insurance coincides with Bush administration policies aimed at limiting the number of veterans eligible for VA coverage, according to the study published online Tuesday in the American Journal of Public Health. In 2002, the administration stopped marketing veterans health care and, in January 2003, cut off access to future veterans earning more than $30,000 to $35,000 annually on average. Both times, VA officials cited budgetary constraints and backlogs in untreated patients.” [USA Today, 10/31/07]

Bush Administration Consistently Underfunded Veterans Affairs. This year and for the previous five, Bush requested billions less than the VA required to meet veterans’ needs. In FY05, the VA had to admit mid-year to a $1 billion shortfall. [Independent Budget, FY 2004; FY 2005; FY 2006; FY 2007; FY 2008; Washington Post, 6/24/05]