September 20, 2007

The Headlines Say It All: Republicans Once Again Fail Our Heroes

From a lack of body armor to Walter Reed and problems with mental health care to inadequate pay, President Bush and Republicans have repeatedly failed our heroes.  Yesterday, Republicans bowed to pressure from the White House and blocked the Webb dwell time amendment.  

The headlines say it all:

Senate Republicans Block Iraq Bill [Reuters, 9/19/07] 

Republicans Block Troop Measure [Wall Street Journal, 9/20/2007] 

Changes to War Strategy Fail in Senate; Republicans Again Head Off a Democratic Challenge to Bush's Policy that Sought More Rest Time for Troops. [Los Angeles Times, 9/20/07] 

Senate Republicans Stop Troop Dwell Time Bill [The Hill, 9/19/07] 

Senate Republicans Block Iraq Bill [ABC News, 9/19/07] 

GOP Opposes Bill Regulating Combat Tours [Associated Press, 9/19/07] 

Bid to Keep Troops Home Longer Fails; Carolinas' GOP Senators Vote Against Bill to Even Out Time in Combat, in U.S. [Myrtle Beach Sun-News, 9/20/07] 

Senate Republicans Block Restrictions on Iraq Troop Deployments [Bloomberg, 9/20/07] 

Senate Republicans Block Iraq Webb Measure [Ontario Now, 9/20/07] 

GOP Opposes Bill Regulating Combat Tours [Star-Telegram, 9/19/07]

And it is not the first time Republicans have failed to provide for our troops:

GOP Twice Blocked Attempts By Democrats To Allow the Military to Rest and Troops to Rest. Republicans twice killed an attempt by Democratic Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) to mandate minimum intervals between deployments for troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The measures sought to require active duty forces to be guaranteed as much time at home as they served while deployed. National Guard and reservists would be guaranteed three years at home between deployments. [HR 1585, Senate Vote 241, 7/11/07; HR 1585, Senate Vote 341, 9/19/07]

GOP Blocked an Attempt by Democrats Last Year to Increase Funds to Recondition and Repair the Military’s Equipment. All but one Republican opposed providing $47 billion to recondition and repair equipment for the military. The spending would have been offset by repealing the capital gains and dividends tax cuts for upper income Americans. [HR 4297, Senate Vote 8, 2/2/06]

Last Year, The GOP Blocked Democratic Attempts to Increase Funding for the Veterans TRICARE Program. All but 2 GOP Senators opposed an amendment that sought to increase funding for retirees health care under the military’s TRICARE program. The amendment was to be offset by the elimination of certain tax breaks. [S Con Res 83, Senate Vote 67, 3/16/06]  

Pentagon Tried to Roll Back Danger Pay Increases While Congressional Republicans Tried to Deny Increases to Soldiers Serving Abroad in Support of Missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. “The San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday that 148,000 US troops in Iraq, as well as 9,000 more in Afghanistan, were scheduled to lose a $75 monthly increase in ‘imminent danger’ pay and a $150 hike in their ‘family separation allowance’ when the federal budget year ends on Sept. 30, despite protests by the troops, their families, and the usually supportive Army Times… President Bush signed both increases into law in mid-April as part of a $79 billion supplemental appropriation to support the war in Iraq. The imminent danger pay was increased from $150 to $225 per month, while the family separation stipend rose from $100 per month to $250 a month. The Senate and House have proposed different versions of an extension. The House would limit the increases to those troops in the Iraq and Afghanistan combat zones, but not troops supporting those war efforts from bases outside those zones. The Senate provision makes no such distinction in assignment locations. [Boston Globe, 8/15/03]

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