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Thursday, June 07, 2007
Military Construction-VA Bill to Test GOP Veto Threats
There's nothing unusual about a 56-0 vote committee vote to approve the FY 2008 Military Construction-Veterans Affairs spending bill, as occurred yesterday when the House Appropriations Committee OK'ed the $109 billion measure, $4 billion above the president's request -- $2.5 billion of which goes to politically unassailable funding for veterans' health care. Only a little more unusual is holding a roll call vote where the bill has unanimous support.
Getting all 29 committee Republicans on record in support, however, raises questions about the wisdom and efficacy of the administration's unremitting threats to veto all spending bills that exceed Bush's original request. As House Appropriations chair Rep. David Obey (D-WI) explained delicately:
I wanted to demonstrate that if they do that, Congress will hand them their head. The fact is it is not credible for the White House to claim that they're going to veto that bill.
The 56-0 vote flies in the face of a House GOP gambit to block any veto override efforts by Congress. House Defense Appropriations ranking member Bill Young (R-FL) has bad news
I don't see that bill getting vetoed. If it does, I see it getting overridden.
for his GOP colleagues and President Bush, who sound like born-again deficit hawks, veterans' health be danged.
Posted by Dana Chasin
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