Jim Webb: “I would like to join two of my three principal cosponsors on S. 22 in speaking about how important this piece of…”

“I would like to join two of my three principal cosponsors on S. 22 in speaking about how important this piece of legislation is, and how appropriate it is to have it be placed on the supplemental appropriations measure. The senior Senator from Virginia has an amendment we are going to offer. Hopefully, in the spirit of what the Senator from Mississippi just said, we will try to lay some of these arguments by the wayside and get a bill that will truly provide the right kind of readjustment benefits to those who have been performing such exemplary service since 9/11. S. 22 was introduced on the first day of this Congress. From that point we have had strong bipartisan and bicameral support. We now have 58 cosponsors in the Senate, including 11 Republicans. Among those Republicans is the senior Senator from Virginia, the former chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and the senior Senator from Nebraska, the only Member of this body to have served in a high-ranking position in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Just last week in the House, in spite of some of the debates that went into pay-for provisions and tax provisions, we saw a strong vote. We had 300 sponsors of this provision in the House, including more than 90 Republicans. Even on what was largely viewed as a partisan vote in other areas, we had 33 Republicans vote for this bill.”