Bill Sessions, a Republican member of the United States Senate from Alabama, voted against a bill that would give veterans of the United States armed forces better access to health care. Although this was a bipartisan bill that sailed through the House of Representatives and is the kind of “support the troops” initiative lawmakers love to get behind, Sessions called it “entitlement”. Two of his fellow Republican Senators voted against it as well.
The bill simply aims to give veterans more health care options and also would allow the Veterans Administration to open new facilities. Its purpose is to expand and update what is an aging and out-of-date care network. Currently, many veterans have to wait two months or longer to just see a doctor. Most Americans agree that this is no way to treat our brave veterans but apparently not Sessions.
Sessions use of the word “entitlement” is just plain wrong and is typical of how Republicans label any group, no matter how deserving, who gets help from tax dollars as welfare abusers. Sessions himself served in the Army Reserve between 1973 and 1986, but he doesn’t seem to care so much about the his fellow soldiers now.
Sessions and the two other Republican senators who voted against the bill have excellent health benefits as members of the United States congress. Maybe it’s time to end their “entitlement” as well and vote them out of office. Our military heroes deserve better support from their lawmakers.