Senate vote today, November 19th: Disabled vets care versus subsidies for the UN bureaucracy

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[Ooh-Ah]

Contact your Senators and let them know what you think!

Tomorrow morning the Senate will choose between funding care for disabled
U.S. veterans or subsidies for United Nations (U.N.) bureaucracy.

At issue is S. 1963, the Caregiver and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act,
which would authorize caregiver assistance to veterans disabled since
September 11, 2001. The bill is not paid for, does not provide immediate
assistance, and denies benefits to veterans of conflicts prior to 9/11.

Senator Tom Coburn is offering an amendment (#2785, attached) that would:

1) Make all disabled veterans eligible for the benefit, regardless of
the war in which they were injured;

2) Pay for the new benefits by reducing U.S. contributions to the
U.N.;

and

3) Ensure that the promised benefits become available immediately.

If the Senate rejects the Coburn amendment:

 1) Tens of thousands of veterans who have required caregiver assistance
for decades will be denied the benefits offered to other veterans by this
bill;

2) The national debt, which just reached $12 trillion, would be
increased by more than $3.7 billion to pay for the bill because it contains
no offset for the costs of the new benefits;

and

3) The benefits promised will not be available for at least a year or
more, because the bill provides no immediate funding and the Senate has
already passed the appropriations bill that provides funding for the
Department of Veterans Affairs for the next year without including any
funding for this program.

Earlier this week, the Senate defeated a motion offered by Senator Coburn to
provide funding for veterans caregiver assistance by eliminating
congressional earmarks not requested by the Commander-in-Chief funded by the
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act.

(The vote tally is available HERE).

Senate Democrats held a press conference just last week where they stated
no price is too high <http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/1007620.html to
care for our veterans. While those same Senators a week later voted
against paying the price of care for our veterans with their earmarks, tomorrow
they will have another chance to pay that price with a reduction in payments to
the U.N.



The U.S. government sends over $4 billion a year in taxpayer dollars to
the U.N. with little or no accountability. The U.N. cannot account for tens
of millions spent in Afghanistan on the recent fraudulent election, with most
of the funding coming from the U.S. In one instance, the United Nations
Development Program paid $6.8 million for transportation costs in areas
where no U.N. officials were present. The U.N. procurement task force

found that 43 percent of all U.N. procurement is tainted by fraud, waste, and
abuse. In one year this amounts to over $630 million. The United Nations
headquarters renovation is already $800 million over its initial estimated
price, with U.S. paying the highest amount of any nation for each cost
overrun. The Oil for Food program run at the U.N. provided at least $7.4
billion in illicit revenues to Saddam Hussein's government.



Clearly, providing much needed care to all disabled veterans who
sacrificed to protect our nation and secure peace abroad should be
a higher priority than dumping more money into the bloated and
mismanaged U.N. bureaucracy.

[Brad from Tennessee]

I just forwarded your message via email to my Congresswoman who is a conservative with a good record on veterans affairs.

[MestaMachine]

Thank you so very much. Please do not forget. This is a SENATE amendment. Contact your senators as well.

[MestaMachine]

No. Pepcid. Lots and lots of Pepcid.

[MestaMachine]

The End of Days? I should think Ahnold might want to rewatch this everytime he finds himself in agreement with beelzabam.

[Freedom2specul8]

1,013+ views

[Freedom2specul8]

1 hr = 57 views bump

[Freedom2specul8]

Prevacid works quite well....(bump)

[MestaMachine]

[Brad from Tennessee]

Done. Alexander & Corker. I’ll let you know what they reply.

[azishot]

Morning Bump...

Called and emailed our senators....

(BTW, Kim...Prevacid is now available OTC but just the 15mg from what I hear. I take the 30mg.)

[MestaMachine]

This bill is being debated right now on CSPAN. I don’t think Coburn’s amendment has come up yet.

[MestaMachine]

Senator Burr just took the floor in favor of the Coburn Amendment. R, NC.

[MestaMachine]

Coburn Amendment is being debated now. Coburn speaking.

[MestaMachine]

Please keep calling in SUPPORT of the COBURN AMENDMENT to S. 1963. Vote is expected around 3:00 PM EST.
Please guys. This is important.
Begich, D Alaska, speaking against. Says it’s our “obligation” to fund the UN.
I say it’s our obligation to take care of our Veterans without whom the UN would never exist. Not that it should, anyway.

[MestaMachine]

Is there any way to change the headline to “Senate vote today, Nov 19: Disabled vets care versus subsidies for the UN bureaucracy”

The vote is scheduled for 3 PM EST. Being debated now.
Thank you.

[Freedom2specul8]

Thanks for the updates..we’re getting ready to leave..so here’s my bump, and my phone call in a few—

[Freedom2specul8]

You’ll get a quicker reply from mod if you ask him or her via the report abuse button. ;-)

[Freedom2specul8]

I devided to ask real quick lol now I really have to go...bump

[MestaMachine]

Thank you. Have a great day!

[MestaMachine]

Bless your heart. Thank you.