Veterans Lash Out at Loss of Voice on Capitol Hill
A proposal to end the long-standing practice of veterans groups addressing a joint session of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees is an insult to all who have fought, sacrificed and died to defend the Constitution, according to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). And in a strongly worded letter to House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), the DAV has urged him to continue the joint hearings as an invaluable tool in formulating public policy toward America’s veterans.
Chairman Buyer recently announced that veterans service organizations will no longer have the opportunity to present testimony before a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees.
They undershot the VA budget last year and it played out in a way that made moderate Republicans cringe. After Pat Murray (D) proposed an ammendment to fully fund the VA, the debate on the floor was a stream of Republicans simply saying that no gap in funding existed. We know what happened then. The VA budget was 5 billion short on what they needed, and Bush had to put out a fire.
Knowing the #1 priority in DC for Republicans right now is slashing spending everywhere they can, the last thing they want to hear are the voices of those they’re hanging out to dry. The GOP is morally bankrupt. They’re given a top priority and everything else comes second, whether it’s social security, the war, tax cuts…but telling the veterans who fought to provide the freedom we enjoy today that their thoughts and concerns are irrelevant. Here’s the rest of the article.
“The tradition of legislative presentations by veterans service organizations dates back to at least the 1950s. And the timing of this announcement — just before Veterans Day — could not have been worse,” said DAV National Commander Paul W. Jackson.
For several decades now, these joint hearings have been held each year to allow the elected leaders of veterans groups to discuss their organization’s legislative agenda and foremost concerns with the lawmakers who have jurisdiction over federal veterans programs. Senators and Representatives who serve on those committees also get the rare opportunity to address the hundreds of constituent members from these organizations’ who make the annual pilgrimage to Capitol Hill.
“The right to fully participate in the democratic process is a cornerstone of our nation,” said Commander Jackson. “Eliminating these joint hearings is an insult to the men and women who have fought, sacrificed and died to protect our Constitutional rights, including the right to petition the government.”
This important dialog between veterans and their elected representatives is crucial to the democratic process and a unique opportunity for the men and women who’ve put their lives on the line for America. Many of the veterans who take part in the hearings view it as their patriotic duty, as well as a fundamental right.
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The 1.3 million-member Disabled American Veterans, a non- profit organization founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932, represents this nation’s disabled veterans. It is dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for our nation’s disabled veterans and their families. For more information, visit the organization’s Web site http://www.dav.org
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