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Reid, Boehner thank troops, urge action on jobs for veterans
House and Senate leaders commemorated Veterans Day on Sunday, thanking service members for their contributions while also urging action on creating job opportunities for returning soldiers.
“As more troops return from duty and transition into civilian life we must stand ready to give them every chance possible to thrive. No veteran should ever find themselves out of work, homeless, or struggling,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said in a Sunday statement.
“Saying ‘thank you’ is important, but there’s always more that we the people can do for those whose sacrifices preserved the heritage of freedom. We can work to make sure they can find work, look out for the families of the fallen, be every bit the patriots our founders were,” Boehner said, in a video message.
Both sides have struggled to strike a veterans jobs deal, with the most recent attempt fizzling out in September. Senate Republicans blocked the bill in a procedural vote, calling it a gimmick by Democrats.
The GOP shot down the bill because they said it violated budget rules by increasing the deficit and duplicated some programs already in place. They also said it ignored last summer’s debt-ceiling deal, known as the Budget Control Act, by adding more spending than was agreed to.
The bill would have established job-training programs to help place veterans in fields such as national park conservation, historical preservation projects, police work and firefighting.
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