Murray calls out GOP senator holding up bill for veterans with disabilities

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) accused an anonymous Republican senator of blocking a bill that would increase the cost-of-living benefits for veterans with disabilities.

“This is stunning,” Murray said in a statement Thursday. “Particularly because we still don’t have any indication why someone would block a cost-of-living adjustment for veterans and their surviving spouses, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet.”

A cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for veterans with disabilities has typically been a bipartisan issue in the past and would benefit more than 3.9 million veterans and their survivors.

The COLA increase, which is designed to offset inflation and other factors that lead to the rising cost of living, was brought to the Senate floor by Murray right before the Senate headed home until after November elections. Murray said the bill was cleared by all Senate Democrats but was blocked by at least one Senate Republican who has not come forward.

“This adjustment for our disabled veterans is hard earned and well deserved,” Murray, chairwoman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said. “My hope is that whichever senator has decided to hold up this bill will at least come forward to own up to it. That way we can move forward to overcome their oppositions and get our veterans the support they need.”

The COLA rate Murray proposed would match the annual increase provided to Social Security recipients and is based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index.

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