Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
Republicans think they can get away with filibustering funding for veterans' health care in February and wailing about how veterans are being mistreated in May and June while continuing to reject the funding. But Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid is having none of it:
Reid accused the GOP of “double-speak” by criticizing the Veterans Affairs Department but denying the agency the funding it needs. He bashed Republicans for spending billions on Iraq paid for by “the taxpayers’ of America’s credit card” while failing to invest in care for those returning from overseas conflicts. [...]
“Taking care of our nation’s wounded veterans does cost money. But it is money well spent,” Reid said. “The lives and well being of the brave men and women who fight to protect our way of life is part of the cost of our democracy. Instead Republicans focus on the monetary costs only, the dollar bills. Because any money going to our veterans is one less dollar going to billionaires and corporations and unnecessary tax cuts.”
That's about the size of it. As the party that promoted endless war, Republicans bear a special responsibility to the veterans harmed by that war, but they don't want to pay that bill. They just want to complain about the lack of unicorns magically treating the people their wars injured, and somehow blame that on President Obama.
If Republicans think they're not going to face a serious fight when they pin long wait times at the VA on Democrats while simultaneously refusing to fund new medical facilities, though, their delusions aren't stopping with unicorns.