Senate approves budget for veterans programs

[clear eye]

Source: AP on Google News

By ANDREW TAYLOR (AP) – 57 minutes ago

The Senate on Tuesday adopted the latest in a continuing series of major budget increases to provide medical care for veterans. The move came as the Senate passed, by a rare 100-0 vote, a $134 billion spending bill for veterans programs and military construction projects.

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The measure also approves a $48.2 billion down payment on the budget for veterans medical care for 2011. The "advance appropriation" is aimed at guaranteeing consistent and predictable funding for veterans medical care.

Also Tuesday, the Senate killed an amendment by Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., that would have barred the Obama administration from either building in the U.S. a new prison to hold detainees from the controversial Guantanamo Bay prison or upgrading an existing facility to hold them.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who's advocating bringing Guantanamo detainees to a largely vacant state prison in rural Illinois, rallied colleagues against the amendment and said it made no sense to bring prisoners from Guantanamo to the U.S. but not be able to spend money to make U.S. facilities safer.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5id7IcQ9YbZ0Gs-qMVjENtjcD8hywD9C1JF500

[rasputin1952]

1. These men and women have earned this...

for anyone in the Senate to go against this, after sending out men and women into harms way would have faced a horrified public.

May our brothers and sister get the care they have earned...:patriot:

[DumbBassRepublicans]

2. Medical Benefits...

EVERY, and I mean EVERY veteran, who has seen
active military service in any combat area,
SHOULD receive the SAME medical benefits every
member of Congress receives...!!!

Now THAT would be REAL health care reform...!!!

But alas, I'm sure republicans would oppose this
too...!!!!

[rasputin1952]

3. Welcome to DU!

This nation has a horrible record when it comes to taking care of it's veterans , from the Revolution on. It's getting better, but there is a ways to go yet.

We ask these men and women to sacrifice life, limb and and their youth...when they return, we turn out backs on them As a veteran I find this particularly noxious., and when there are people making decisions concerning funding of the VA or veteran services that never served, I get downright angry when those asked to sacrifice are denied

[Vidar]

4. K&R

[Luciferous]

5. K&R