‘Today is the last day for the House to act if we are to get Veterans funding by Veterans Day’



Washington, D.C. – Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell spoke on the Senate floor Wednesday regarding Sen. Hutchinson’s resolution to keep the Veterans Bill separate from the Labor-HHS Bill, in order to pass it immediately and have it signed by Veterans Day:



“We have before us a combination of two bills, the Labor, Health and Human Services Bill and the Veterans Bill. We know that the president would sign the Veterans Bill, has been hoping to get it for the last couple of months. We know that he will veto the Labor, Health and Human Services Bill.



“So Senator Hutchison from Texas has offered the point of order that the Veterans Bill should not have been placed into the Labor-HHS bill in conference. The principal reason for sustaining that point of order is to separate these bills out and give us a chance to get a Veterans Bill to the president by Veterans Day, which is next Monday.



“Today is the last day that the House of Representatives could appoint conferees on this bill in order to get it to the president by next Monday, Veterans Day.



“So the only way we can get a signed Veterans Bill by Veterans Day is for the point of orders to be sustained, thereby separating these two bills and giving us a chance to get the job finished for our veterans, who richly deserve this important bill, by next Monday on Veterans Day.



“So I would urge my colleagues to vote to sustain the point of order, to give us a chance to get these bills separated and get this much-needed relief to our veterans by next Monday, Veterans Day.”



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