Veterans Unemployment Rate and the Jobs Bill **UPDATED**

Updated on September 23, 2012
☆.A. asks from Beverly Hills, CA
5 answers

Why this was killed?
No matter your political party, I thought the one thing this country agreed on was the importance of our veterans.

The Veterans Job Corps Act of 2012 would have lowered unemployment among military veterans, giving grants to federal, state, and local agencies, which in turn would hire veterans -- giving priority to those who served on or after 9/11 -- to work as first-responders and in conservation jobs at national parks.

The bill was fully paid for, and entirely bipartisan. It incorporated ALL of the Republican components, even though written by a Democrat.
The bill needed 60 votes to advance. The final tally was 58 to 40, and all 40 opponents of the proposal were Republicans. Even the ones that helped to write it voted against it!

Jeff Sessions of Alabama raised a point of order -- he said the bill violated a cap on spending agreed to by Congress last year.
The bill's sponsor, Patty Murray of Washington, said that shouldn't matter, since the bill's cost was fully offset by new revenues.

Does this make any sense? I don't get it.
Dont we all want better for our veterans?

My vote record below is from www.senate.gov

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/rol...

Is that a "credible" source?

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So What Happened?

None of the offered explanations explain why every single Republican voted "NO" to this bill--after they WROTE it!
What a waste of time. That's almost criminal.

HEY, Shirley! Great to see you back on the board! It's been quite a while
My sources are credible. The only "news" station that did NOT cover this was FOX.

Oh--in case anyone couldn't find the voting record, specifically by position, here you go:

Grouped By Vote Position:

YEAs ---58

Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Brown (R-MA)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Coons (D-DE)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Hagan (D-NC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Heller (R-NV)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Manchin (D-WV)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Snowe (R-ME)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Warner (D-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---40
Alexander (R-TN)
Ayotte (R-NH)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coats (R-IN)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (R-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lee (R-UT)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Moran (R-KS)
Paul (R-KY)
Portman (R-OH)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rubio (R-FL)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Toomey (R-PA)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS)

Not Voting - 2
Inhofe (R-OK)
Kirk (R-IL)

As Patty Murray put it "Instead of saying yes to the nearly one million unemployed veterans, it seems some on the other side have spent the last week and a half seeking out any way to say no."

Here is more information:

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/09/military-veterans-j...

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/250391-gop-k...

The killing of this just shows that "bipartisan" is non-existent these days!

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

There are SO many minute details in bills that no O. person can say if it was good or bad.

In the end, sorry, but many Americans talk the talk but do not walk the walk when it comes to vets. Trust me. My husband recently retired from the Marine Corps. My brother retired from the Corps 10 years ago. My son is a former Marine and the reason why he's "former" and didn't go all the way to "retired" is because of how vets are treated. Americans are all about talking how they support our military, but only when it suits their needs. For some reason the falsehood that vets are loaded with benefits and freebies is still out there. Obama is wanting to cut BILLIONS from the Tricare military insurance for retirees. So after all the combats, tours away from families, missed holidays and misses births and more, all in the name of American freedom, vets are still screwed. There are still so many Vietnam vets out there not able to get help which is why you'll see plenty of them living on the streets. It's disgusting. So many wouldn't volunteer for what our vets have done but when they're needed they're sent overseas to police the world and if they're killed people feel bad but on the other hand you hear how it's their job and they signed up for it and to suck it up. Yah, lots of love and thanks from many Americans out there. Again, they will talk the talk but will not walk the walk when it comes to truly supporting them financially!

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

5 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.L.

answers from San Diego on

ETA: this is a copy from the Senate.gov - it does NOT match the "list" you provided..

XML U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 112th Congress - 2nd Session

as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

Vote Summary

Question: On the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Proceed to Consider S.3457 )
Vote Number: 192 Vote Date: September 12, 2012, 08:46 PM
Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Motion to Proceed Agreed to
Measure Number: S. 3457 (Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012 )
Measure Title: A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a veterans jobs corps, and for other purposes.
Vote Counts: YEAs 84
NAYs 8
Not Voting 8
So again - if you can't quote your sources...then you shouldn't post..
_______________________________________________

After doing some researching, I cannot find anything that shows the information you are giving. So it leads me to believe you are trying to stir the pot or falsehoods.

I saw the links that Cheryl O. included. Those credible links, do not correspond with the information you state. You also fail to cite sources. So I would venture to guess again that it is from something like Mother Jones or some other liberal site.

In my brief research, it appears that there are at least six other veterans bills. That this bill is NOT fully funded and the $1B they are saying is revenue based is not REAL revenue.

My husband states I am a reformed liberal. I voted for Obama in '08 and will NOT be voting for him in November. My life is NOT better than it was 4 years ago.

4 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

G.H.

answers from Chicago on

ETA: I'm with Cheryl, you NEED some credible news sources. Non of the *legit* sources shows your numbers. And didn't Jeff Sessions explain to you why the bill wasn't agreed upon by Congress?

Original

"The bill was “loosely modeled” after the Depression-era Civil Conservation Corps (CCC) which hired the unemployed to work on government lands for forestry and other projects. The article quoted Senator Murray as saying “Instead of meeting us halfway, we have been met with resistance. Instead of saying yes to the nearly 1 million unemployed veterans, it seems some on the other side have spent the last week and a half seeking any way to say no.”

Unfortunately, the Veterans’ Jobs Bill was based on politics and not on a real solution to helping veterans get jobs. The Democrats’ use of “veteran” in the bill indicates a focus on trying to help unemployed veterans. According to Senator Coburn, there are a total of six job programs already available to veterans. O. such program, the VOW To Hire Heroes Act, was signed by President Obama in November of 2011. The Act provides businesses tax credits as an incentive to hire veterans and seeks to improve the transition from the military to the civilian workforce. Also, the Federal government already provides funding for local police and fire departments to hire personnel.

The Democrats’ bill focused on increasing the size of government and adding to the debt. Did they think that would be supported by the smaller government and fiscally conservative Republicans? Of course not. The Democrats knew that bill would not have passed the House but decided to push ahead with it in the Senate. This was done as an opportunity to label Republicans as disinterested in helping unemployed veterans.

An election season is a prime opportunity to divide and conquer any and all groups for voters. The Democrats’ ploy shows they are interested in politics and not with veteran unemployment. Instead of introducing additional bills, and debt, they should review the existing veteran employment programs for effectiveness. That would show that they do care about veterans and the country. "

4 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

It would be credible if you had used the right bill...the O. you post? is for
THE AMENDMENT OF S.2789 to 3457...I would say you are misleading people....

Vote Number: 193 Vote Date: September 19, 2012, 12:01 PM
Required For Majority: 3/5 Vote Result: Motion Rejected
Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 2789 to S. 3457 (Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012)

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Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Apparently not.

The only problem I have is that it gives preference to those that served on or after 9/11. Granted, 9/11 was HORRENDOUS but so was Vietnam.

3 moms found this helpful
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