Senate Republicans Said NO to Funding for Military Equipment Repairs. Last night, Senate Republicans voted to kill a proposal to provide $44 billion to improve and repair military equipment. According to sponsor Sen. Jack Reed, “$47 billion worth of equipment which they have used in Iraq and Afghanistan needs to be repaired and reconditioned.” The funding would have been offset by repealing capital gains and dividends tax cuts, while extending protections for middle-class taxpayers. Senators voting against this amendment included Frist, DeWine, Dole, Burns, Kyl, Santorum and Talent. [Vote #8, 2/2/06; Congressional Record, 2/2/06]
Republicans’ NO Vote Came Despite Warnings That Worn-Out Equipment Is Putting Our 138,000 Active Duty Soldiers At Risk. Last week, Rep. Ike Skelton, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, wrote a letter to Secretary Rumsfeld that “said the Army’s worn-out equipment has placed the force ‘at strategic risk.’” There are 138,000 men and women currently fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Editorial, 1/31/06; Department of Defense, 1/25/06]
Senate Republicans Said NO to Funding to Military and Veterans Hospitals. Last night, Senate Republicans voted against increasing funding for military and veterans hospitals by $19 billion. The funding would have been offset by repealing capital gains and dividends tax cuts, while extending protections for middle-class taxpayers. Senators voting against this amendment included Frist, DeWine, Dole, Burns, Kyl, Santorum and Talent. [Vote #7, 2/2/06]
More Than 16,000 U.S. Forces Have Been Wounded Since Iraq Conflict Began. According to the Department of Defense, 16,420 soldiers have been wounded in action since March 2003. [Iraq Coalition Casualties, accessed 2/3/06]
Instead of Supporting our Troops and Veterans in a Time of War, Senate Republicans Sided With Millionaires. By voting against helping troops and veterans, Senate Republicans voted to prioritize tax relief for millionaires in the form of dividend and capital gains tax cut extensions. Over half of the benefits of dividends and capital gains tax cut extensions favor households with incomes over $1 million, only 0.2 percent of the nation. [Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 1/30/06]
(N.B. I do not know the original source for the above compilation. If someone does, let me know.)
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