Congressional Republicans have been haranguing about veterans benefits for weeks, but when they had an opportunity to do something about it last night they blocked it.
Why? Because the veterans benefits bill did not include new Iran sanctions.
After numerous attempts failed, the Senate GOP used Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) veterans’ benefits bill to bring the issue up again but Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) refused to go along. “Republicans say they want to help veterans. They have a strange way of showing it. We introduced a bill that would do just that. Republicans immediately inject partisan politics into the mix, insisting on amendments that have nothing to do with helping veterans,” Reid said on Wednesday.
One of the nation’s largest veterans groups, the American Legion, agreed. “Iran is a serious issue that Congress needs to address, but it cannot be tied to S. 1982, which is extremely important as our nation prepares to welcome millions of U.S. military servicemen and women home from war,” American Legion National Commander Daniel M. Dellinger said in a statement this week.
Senate Democrats were unable to reach the 60 vote threshold because the Republicans’ desire to sabotage peace talks with Iran is greater than their seemingly nonexistent level of compassion for the veterans many of them voted to send overseas.