Sen. Tom Coburn AP Photo
Senator Tom Coburn (R), Okahoma, the same Tom Coburn who advised Senator John Ensign to end the affair he was having by paying off the husband of his mistress, is the single senator in the US holding up a Veterans benefit bill that would aid health care givers of veterans returning home after fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to The Marine Times, Coburn is using an informal but legal practice of putting a bill on hold to prevent consideration of S 1963, the Veterans' Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act of 2009.
When asked by reporters why he was putting a hold on the veterans benefit bill, Coburn said he opposed the bill because he doesn't know how the bill will be funded. When a reporter pointed out to him that he had voted for funding for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars amounting to trillions of dollars, Coburn excused himself by saying that he did that the first year he was in the Senate. He went on to say he only voted for funding for the war one time. Coburn seems to have forgotten that he voted for funding for the wars again in 2006.
Opposition to funding for veterans isn't new to Senator Coburn. S 1963 was introduced after Coburn put a hold on two earlier Veterans Health Care benefits bills, the Veterans Health Care Authorization Act of 2009 and the Veterans' Insurance and Benefits Enhancement Act of 2009. The two previous bills, S 252 and S 728 respectively were combined into the new S 1963 in an effort to get around Coburn's earlier opposition to veterans benefit bills.
The veterans who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan deserve America's support and a majority of representatives in Washington agree. The bill is a bipartisan bill that is largely agreed on by both Republicans and Democrats, but Senator Coburn has successfully blocked the bill that would benefit veterans.
Thirteen military and veterans groups have banded together in an effort to force Coburn to release his hold up of S 1963 including The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Military Order of the Purple Heart, AmVets, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America to name a few.
When Steve Robertson, legislative director for the American Legion contacted Coburn's staff about the holds on the earlier veterans benefit bills, Senator Coburn's aides tried to get Robertson to discourage veterans from calling the senator's office.
For more information: The Marine Times
Comments
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Still no story from Karen Harper on her very own Mayor and his conviction on 60 counts of corruption?
There's a lot of nice people living in OK, too bad their are represented by this hypocritical, lying sack of s**t; what has happended to the Republican party?
As a Vietnam Veteran and a resident of Oklahoma I guess Senator Coburn that it is time for ALL VETERANS in the Great State Of Oklahoma to stand up in your re-election bid and say HELL NO TO COBURN and let you find a job on the local economy rather than representing any veteran in the Senate. I don't know who you are but last night while watching Rachel Maddow and you being shown making a statement that you only voted yea once and then it being shown you voted again in 2006 just tells me that you are not to be trusted. So I think that a new Senator needs to be elected that can be trusted and not hold up anything pertaining to any Veteran. Say Goodbye Mr. Coburn.
Just a comment. Why not give the Veterans and the rest of the residents of Oklahoma a truthful reason why you would claim you are holding up a bill because as you say it isn't funded and you just don't say 'yea' to non funded bills but yet you clearly voted 'yea' twice for non-funded bills previously. Care to answer, but how about this time it being a TRUTHFUL response!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
His President sent the lastest veterans into two wars without funding,proper personal protection,safe vehicles, etc.
Now Osburn can't see helping these injured coming back in pieces???????? If he's been in the Senate since 2004, he's had many opportunities to right this horrific wrong and has "just said NO"
Shame on him!!!
Thank heavens he comes up for reelection next year. Those in Oklahoma should begin today to send him home permanently-never allow him to have control over anything or anyone ever again.
Bless our troups,
A veteran married to a veteran.
I don’t live in Oklahoma but I do belong to a tribe in Oklahoma. That is very very active in supporting the troops.
The Choctaws’ are always trying to raise money or items the
Troops can really use Hell! I think our Chief even received an award for the support they provided and you know right after I write this letter they are next.
We should all stand together on both sides in getting him to either remove his option to block or remove him from the senate.
God Bless the Troops and There Fathers and Mother before Them.
Thank you,
Dave
I've got a Great idea on how to fund the bill you are trying to hold up! How about you and all the other Congressmen and Senators take a pay cut!! I think that would be fair considering all the people on unemployment and those who have had to take jobs at half the wage of their previous ones!
Senator Coburn MUST GO! He is HATEFUL!!
hey Coburn.. I recently read your book.. you know the one where you promised not to fall into that washingotn dc sewer....looks like not only did you fall into it. you bought the whole thing. there has to be a better way for you to get attention.. holding up one single penny that our returning troops could use is sinful and some one should hand you over to a couple of returning special forces so they can kick the sh-t out of you,
with love from a viet nam vet and an ex supporter of you.. moron
I hope he never needs and public assistance.
Senator, Maybe you need to stop by the Polytrauma Center at the James Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa. You can meet our son who suffered a traumatic brain injury during his second tour in Iraq and has been a patient there for nearly two years. When he is discharged, we will have to take care of him for the rest of his life. He has no use of arms or legs, must be fed, and wears a diaper. While you are there, you can also visit the wives and mothers of other boys who have been uprooted from their homes, jobs, and families to care for their sons and husbands. Maybe you can hold little two-year old AJ who has been raised on the hospital floor. You seemed to have found the money to pay for Bush's war. Now, you don't want to support the results of the carnage he caused. Stop blocking this bill and support the troops and their families.
i wonder where was this man during hamburguer hill,lam son719, etc. in canada hiding?
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