The lawmaker holding up Senate passage of a veterans health care bill orchestrated a Monday vote that forced senators to choose between funding veterans programs or funding pet projects.The pet projects — 96 unrequested military construction projects costing about $633 million — won over veterans funding on a 69-24 vote. But it probably isn’t the last effort by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., to prevent the Senate from passing veterans benefits legislation that isn’t fully funded.Coburn has talked about pushing a similar vote that would pay for unfunded veterans benefits but cutting U.S. payments to the United Nations.On Monday’s vote, Coburn was attempting to send the $132.5 billion military construction and veterans appropriations bill, S 1407, back to the Senate Appropriations Committee for changes that would reduce the number of so-called “earmarks,” added by lawmakers, to provide sufficient funding for veterans caregiver benefits. Twenty-two Republicans and two Democrats voted with him on a motion that was opposed by Senate Democratic leaders.Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that prepared the bill, said Coburn seemed to be confusing his fights: The appropriations bill is separate from S 1963, the Veterans Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act, that Coburn has blocked for about a month.Coburn …

See more here:

Coburn keeps fighting unfunded vet bennies

Related posts:

  1. Coburn named as senator holding up vets bill
  2. Sen. blocking bill: Objection is cost, not vets
  3. Group wants Congress to pass caregiver bill
  4. Health care bill will not hurt vets, Dems say
  5. Vets groups urge speed on caregiver benefits