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Power Play Targets Veterans Budget

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By ANDREW TAYLOR, The Associated Press

Published: November 3, 2007

WASHINGTON - Congressional Democrats are responsible for big spending boosts for America's veterans, but their power play move to link them to budget increases for health and education had Republicans crying foul Friday.

Facing a presidential veto of long-sought budget increases contained in a labor, health and education bill, Democrats folded in the politically sacrosanct budget for veterans.

As power plays go, their move seemed risky; under new Senate rules, Republicans have the power to split up spending bills that have been bundled together in House-Senate negotiations. Thus, it seems likely that President Bush will be able to avoid a veto of the veterans budget.

"At some point the gamesmanship will have to stop and we'll have to approve these bills," said Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the top Republican in the Senate.

The idea behind the Democrats' move is that Republicans in Congress might be more willing to buck the president on a veto override vote when confronted with the combination bill. All but three lawmakers voted for the veterans budget earlier this year, and Democrats claimed a veto-proof margin on the health and education bill in the Senate and just missed doing so in the House.

Also, if Republicans stand with Bush to uphold his veto, Democrats will paint them in next year's campaign as standing against veterans.

"If the president is as concerned as he claims to be with the health and well-being of our veterans, he will change course and sign this bill into law," said Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat.

The veterans budget has indeed increased in recent years, particularly after the Bush administration two years ago underestimated Veterans Affairs health care needs by almost $3 billion over 2005-06. In February, Democrats added $3.4 billion to the veterans budget over prior year levels; they added another $1.8 billion in May.

The pending veterans bill adds $3.7 billion to the VA budget over Bush's request, an increase that will ease waiting times to claim VA health benefits, boost funding to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries increasingly common in Iraq war veterans and even provide higher mileage reimbursements for veterans traveling to get their treatment.

"The funding we provide ... is a clear and unmistakable signal that we mean business when we say we support our nation's veterans," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.

Bush says his veterans budget is sufficient, but he has signaled he will sign the widely backed veterans bill, which also contains major increases for construction at military bases.

Democrats hope the hybrid veterans and education and health measure will be the first appropriations bill sent to Bush for the 2008 budget year that began Oct. 1. Bush has played a hard line against Democrats' desires for domestic budget boosts and doesn't appear interested in compromise. Only Friday, he vetoed a wide-ranging water projects bill. Democrats, in turn, have seemed flummoxed over how to proceed.

When they controlled Congress, Republicans were hardly innocent when it came to such power plays. Former Appropriations Committee Chairman Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., who appeared with McConnell at Friday's news conference, held up the Pentagon budget two years ago while he quarreled with the Bush administration over Hurricane Katrina relief.

"We are in a situation where we're punishing our military forces for the purpose of partisan politics," Cochran said Friday. "And that's inexcusable."

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