Nice timing by the Repelicans. We've got young men fighting on the ground in horrible winter condtions in Afghanistan. They are told not to be captured because of brutal afghani tortures. More men are going to be called up to fight "elsewhere" and some cowardly ANONYMOUS republican senator is blocking a bill to help homeless veterans. Maybe they want the 1 billionin aid to go to Enron.
Tuesday December 4 6:39 PM ET
GOP Holds Up Homeless Vets Bill
By FREDERIC J. FROMMER, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Less than three weeks after Senate Republicans dropped an anonymous hold on Sen. Paul Wellstone's homeless veterans bill, an anonymous Republican has reinstated the hold.
``I can't believe it!'' a red-faced, finger-pointing Wellstone shouted on the Senate floor Tuesday.
Wellstone, D-Minn., said that he, in turn, would block all non-emergency GOP legislation - repeating last month's political theater.
On Nov. 15, the Republicans reached an agreement with Wellstone in which they dropped their hold, and he dropped his hold on GOP legislation extending a moratorium on Internet-related taxes. The Senate then approved Wellstone's bill on a voice vote.
A House-Senate conference committee reconciled slightly different versions of the homeless veterans legislation, which would add just under $1 billion in homeless services over the next six years.
But when Wellstone brought it up Tuesday under a procedure reserved for non-controversial legislation, Sen. Larry Craig (news - bio - voting record), R-Idaho, objected.
``I'm sorry that I have to do this,'' Craig said, volunteering that he was not the senator who had a hold on the legislation.
Wellstone said in an interview later that he had no idea why the bill was being blocked.
``But the one thing I do know is, I used to do some organizing with street people, and this time, it's going to be an even more fierce fight,'' said Wellstone, a former community activist. ``I know how to fight here, and I know what my leverage is.'' |
