Veterans jobs bill stalls in Senate
The Veterans Job Corps bill was held up in the Senate late Wednesday night after Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) filibustered to gain support for the release of a Pakistani doctor who helped locate Osama bin Laden.
The bill, which has bi-partisan support, would create a veterans jobs training program, costing $1 billion over five years.
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“A vet job bill – does that deserve a fight?” Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) asked after a Senate roll call.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) argued that his filibuster took “15 minutes” and was for a good cause – to call for the release of Shakil Afridi, the Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA find bin Laden.
Paul has promised to stall Senate action until the doctor is released from jail – something the Pakistani government has said it will not do. Paul has also called on the Obama administration to cut foreign aid to Pakistan until Afridi is released from jail.
“We’re going to do nothing to help the man who helped up get bin Laden?” Paul asked.
Paul also said the United States should stop all aid to Libya in the wake of the attacks on the U.S. consulate there that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
“I do this because I think it’s important for our allies to act like allies,” Paul said.
Reid said he disagreed, saying a vote to help veterans find jobs wasn’t the time or place to play politics.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81151.html
