VA Watchdog Stuff
cups, hats, shirts
click here to
support the site





Be sure to get all five
VA Watchdog dot Org
RSS feeds --
Daily VA
News Flashes
House CVA
Veterans' News
Senate CVA
Veterans' News
VA Press
Releases
VSO Press
Releases

Download your
free copy of the
2007 VA benefits
handbook here...

Printer-Friendly Version

UPDATE: MONEY BACK IN STIMULUS PACKAGE FOR DISABLED

VETS AND SENIORS -- Senate added payments for seniors and

disabled veterans to an economic stimulus package approved by

the House that would send checks to most American families.

The previous story about the economic stimulus package is here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfFEB08/nf020708-8.htm

Story here... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn
/content/article/2008/02/07/AR2008020700630.html?hpid=topnews

Story below: 

-------------------------

Senate Passes Economic Stimulus Bill

By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer

The Senate today added payments for seniors and disabled veterans to an economic stimulus package approved by the House that would send checks to most American families, then overwhelmingly approved the $151 billion shot in the arm to the U.S. economy, 81-16.

The House is scheduled to give final approval to the legislation tonight and send the plan to President Bush for his signature, ensuring that checks will begin reaching families by mid-May.

"This is the Senate at its finest, recognizing this was an opportunity to demonstrate to the public that we could come together, do something important for the country and do it quickly," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). "We were able to put aside our differences, not only in the Senate but with our colleagues in the House and with the administration."

"It's tremendous what we've been able to accomplish," added Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

The legislation would provide $600 payments for individuals -- $1,200 for couples -- plus $300 for each child under 17. It would begin to phase out eligibility at $75,000 in adjusted gross income for individuals and $150,000 for couples. Workers who can show $3,000 in earned income last year--not enough to pay taxes--would be eligible for payments of $300.

Businesses also would be given generous incentives to invest in new plants and equipment. The Federal Housing Administration and the federally-backed mortgage consolidators Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would be allowed to insure larger home mortgages.

On a 91-6 vote, the Senate added a provision granting $300 checks to seniors, disabled veterans and veterans' widows who can show $3,000 in Social Security or veterans' disability benefits last year. Senators also tightened rules to prevent illegal immigrants from claiming payments. In all, the tax checks will cost the Treasury $105.7 billion, all of it added to the budget deficit.

Senate Democrats had wanted a considerably larger package that included an extension of unemployment insurance, billions of dollars in energy tax credits and federally backed bonds for home construction. The Senate plan also would have ensured that poor seniors, veterans and workers who earn too little to pay income tax would have received $500 checks, the same amount that would have gone to working individuals. And it would have doubled eligibility thresholds, to $150,000 in income for individuals and $300,000 for couples.

But when a filibuster of that plan survived by a single vote, House Democratic leaders publicly pressured their Senate colleagues to scale back their ambitions and move fast.

"There is no reason for any more delay on this," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) warned in a public break with the Senate leadership. "I don't think any change in the bill is really worth the delay."

Congress's action on the stimulus package was remarkably fast, reflecting not only growing concerns in Washington that the nation has already slipped into recession but the desire to persuade voters that Washington can get something done. It took just two weeks for House Republican and Democratic leaders to forge the initial deal with President Bush, for the House to pass it overwhelmingly, and for the Senate to put its final stamp on legislation.

Reid raised eyebrows last month when he promised final action before Congress leaves for the Presidents' Day recess Feb. 15. Congress beat the deadline by more than a week.

"The news is, we got there. We got there in record time," McConnell said.

The process threatened to become a partisan brawl as Senate Democrats -- and some Republicans -- sought significant changes to the House plan. Republicans complained that Democrats were slowing the process to add pet projects that would run up the federal deficit.

When the Senate Finance Committee's stimulus bill was rejected Wednesday, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee immediately put out news releases that accused Sens. McConnell, John Sununu (R-N.H.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) as the deciding votes to kill the package. All of them face re-election in November.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) quickly criticized Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the front-runner for the Republican White House nomination, for sitting out the vote. McCain faced the difficult choice of siding with moderate Republicans for the Senate package just before a high-stakes address to the GOP's conservative wing, or voting with conservatives against a package with broad political appeal. He was present for today's votes.

"Sen. McCain already told us he doesn't understand the economy," said Clinton spokesman Phil Singer. "Now he's proven that he doesn't understand the economic struggles our middle class families face as our economy slides into a recession."

Reid worked overnight to pick up a 60th vote, leaning hardest on Sen. George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio). But rank-and-file Democrats yesterday told leaders it was time to claim victory on the changes that Republican leaders would accept, then start anew on another economic stimulus package that picks up the other provisions, especially unemployment insurance extensions and heating assistance for the poor.

"We stood our ground. Seniors had been left by the side of the road by the president. We added veterans," said Sen. Claire C. McCaskill (R-Mo.). "It was time to declare victory and move on to the next stimulus package within only a few weeks."

Even after striking the final deal, Senate Democrats made it clear they would let voters know which parts of the Senate package were left on the cutting room floor by GOP opposition.

"This is substance on the Senate floor, and people should be held accountable, pure and simple," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "If people pay a political price for doing the wrong thing, that's the way the system works."

Republicans were equally confident the showdown will be forgotten as soon as the checks arrive.

"Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans are the winners," McConnell said. "The winner is the American people."

-------------------------

posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org

Don't forget to read all of today's VA News Flashes (click here)

Click here to make VA Watchdog dot Org your homepage

email Larry

(go back to VA Watchdog dot Org Home Page)

       
Military Medical Malpractice 
Legal Network               

VA Watchdog Stuff
cups, hats, shirts
click here to
support the site