Senate Democrats Block Amendment to Restore Military Pensions [money goes to illegal aliens]

Washington Free Beacon ^ | January 10, 2014 | Elizabeth Harrington

[Zakeet]

Amendment would close loophole that allows tax refunds for illegal aliens

Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a Republican attempt to restore military pensions cut in last month’s budget deal, denying a vote that would save up to $20 billion by closing a loophole that allows tax refunds to go to illegal aliens.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D., Calif.) called an effort by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R., N.H.) to repeal the military retiree cuts “fiddling while Rome burns.”

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) “filled the amendment tree” on Thursday, ending debate and blocking any Republican amendments to a bill to extend unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.

Among them was Ayotte’s measure, which would repeal cuts to military pensions by ending a loophole in the tax code that allows illegal immigrants to receive the Additional Child Tax Credit. Her attempt to get a vote failed 42-54, with only one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), voting with Republicans.

“It’s a sad day when a common sense amendment to responsibly pay for legislation that helps struggling Americans, repeals unfair military retirement benefits and reduces the deficit can’t even get a vote in the Senate,” Ayotte said in a statement.

The amendment would have repealed a provision in the budget deal that hits military retirees with a 1 percent decrease in their annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA), which could cost servicemembers up to $124,000 in lost retirement pay. Federal civilian retiree pensions were not cut.

The budget agreement also did not exempt disabled military retirees despite early assurances from the House Budget Committee. The cuts will save an estimated $6 billion over 10 years.

[Truth29]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonus_Army

[xzins]

Senate democrats this time, but they wouldn’t even have had the opportunity to block this if republican Paul Ryan and the Republican controlled House had not voted in the first place to betray our veterans.

All of them despise our military with very few exceptions. We are worse off than the anti-military rhetoric days of the Vietnam era. At least then we had the old conservative democrats and almost all of our politicians had served in one of our big wars.

[holden]

They can't spend the money to reinstate retirement pay! They've already allocated $2.85M to pay for all active army members receiving their gay pride ribbon to show they're not bigoted.

HF

[redlegplanner]

I was hoping for something a little more effective....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Athens_(1946)

[matginzac]

So we extend “unemployment benefits” for slugs on their ass at home but no bump for vets who consistently laid it on the line...
Virginia voters: remember who the dim libtard senators are in our state and make them pay in the next election...

[Drew68]

Anyone who joins the military these days is a masochist.

At least we don't have to sign up for Obamacare.

Not yet, anyways.

[Drew68]

So we extend “unemployment benefits” for slugs on their ass at home but no bump for vets who consistently laid it on the line...

Vets aren't going to burn down their neighborhoods when their benefits get cut off.

[matginzac]

Hence the screw job....

[2ndDivisionVet]

You’ll wish you had Obamacare before this is all over, I imagine.

[2ndDivisionVet]

[Drew68]

They've already allocated $2.85M to pay for all active army members receiving their gay pride ribbon to show they're not bigoted.

I know it can be hard to tell these days but you do realize that's satire, right?

[Huskerfan44]

As in BOHICA!

[Huskerfan44]

Can kicking Ryan!

[ObamahatesPACoal]

Why did it become Ayotte’s amendment?

I thought this was Jeff Session’s idea. I saw a picture of the press conference and it was all RINOs. Ayotte, Wicker and some others.

[chiefqc]

You are being to kind to a liar that got caught. What is the most insulting is that he knew before hand and did nothing to correct and then acted like it was no big deal.

Now what is this liar going to do to correct it or as usual just hope that it goes away.

Well at least the dumb-o-crats think he did good job. These same dumb-o-crats who gave us obamacare without reading the bill and still think it’s great.

Such a great crowd to hang around with, they deserve each other. When they stab him in the back, and they will, don’t start crying about being lied to as you did to the vets.

[Eagles6]

Please, please tell me this is satire...that looks like the traitor bradley...er...chelsea manning in the photo.

[itssme]

Thank you for your service. We must NOT forget just what happened here...obozo must be removed, period. I can just envision the size of the present voting block of veterans, and in the distance, the vast number of veterans past, who fought and died for our Constitution, freedom and liberty. Dear veterans, you have our support and prayers.

[Tzimisce]

Well - people keep voting for it.

If I were a liberal Democrat in 2014, I’d be laughing and peeing in everyone’s face too.

[Truth29]

Something like that is going to be required to wrest control back from the Marxists and their GOPe collaborators.

[holden]

Satire, yes.
HF