By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jul 23, 2007 18:24:04 EDT
Republicans on the House Veterans Affairs Committee are trying to scuttle a committee-passed plan to provide pensions for World War II-era Filipino Scouts by getting a major veterans service organization to question whether this is the highest priority for improved benefits.
In a letter, the 13 Republicans on the committee complain about being blocked on July 17 from offering amendments that would have redirected the $875 million being spent on disability pay and pensions for Filipino veterans, including those who are not American citizens and who dont even live in the U.S.
Each amendment proposed alternative ways to spend the money going to Filipino veterans, the letter says. Two amendments would have reduced the pensions, which would total up to $8,400 a year for a married veteran, and shifted the rest of the money to programs that Republicans see as higher priorities. Two other blocked amendments would have eliminated the Filipino benefits altogether to increase payments for 100-percent disabled veterans and survivors of veterans who have died of service-connected causes.
Republicans complain that the committee chairman, Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., used an unprecedented procedure of calling for a final vote while Republicans were trying to offer the amendments.
Filner said he saw no amendments in front of him, so he didnt recognize anyone to offer an amendment. Rep. Steve Buyer of Indiana, the former chairman and now ranking Republican member of the committee, said amendments were there but Filner simply chose to cut off debate.
By writing the veterans groups and including copies of the amendments with the letter, Buyer and the other Republicans are trying to create seeds of doubt about the bill, HR 760, before it is brought up for debate on the House floor.
A Democratic committee aide said Filners staff had seen the letter but had no immediate comment.
Filner said during the July 17 session in which the bill was passed that he was trying to fulfill a promise made at the end of World War II to provide benefits to people who fought on behalf of U.S. Interests but were not part of the U.S. Military.
He stressed that he is not acting alone; the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee has approved a similar bill with similar benefits. The Senate bill also created controversy over spending money on benefits for noncitizens at a time when U.S. Veterans can expect long delays in getting their benefits claims and pensions approved because of a backlog in processing requests, which has raised questions about the wisdom of expanding benefits.
