Republicans Reject Investments in America to Save Bush from Being ‘Embarrassed’   by Payson Schwin, Nov 16, 2007

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More than 10,000 working men and women took action this week and told Congress to invest in America’s priorities.

And last night, Congress had the chance to take on President Bush and support our nation’s workers, veterans and children.

But, as the Associated Press reports, just enough Republicans in Congress sided with Bush to sustain his veto of the fiscal year 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education spending bill:

The 277-141 vote was uncomfortably close for Republicans, falling just two votes short of the two-thirds tally required to overturn Bush’s veto. But as they did on three previous occasions, GOP leaders managed their ranks to make sure Bush would not be embarrassed.

Fifty-one Republicans sided with the Democrats. See how your representative voted here. If your representative protected Bush instead of working families, please call her or him through the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 to express your disappointment in her or his vote. And remember to thank those who supported the bill.

The bill contained critical funding for domestic programs, such as:

• $3.4 billion for state unemployment insurance and employment services,
• $340 million to strengthen mine safety protections,
• $183 million to enforce wage and hour laws,
• $37 billion for school districts across America,
• $16.4 billion to lower the costs of student loans,
• $2 billion for affordable, high-quality child care for low-income families,
• $7 billion for Head Start programs and
• $2.2 billion for community health centers.

Yet Bush and his congressional allies would rather spend half a trillion in Iraq than provide a fraction of that for our needs here at home.

They should listen to Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.):

Just outside Iraq, there is a place called America, and America needs your help too, Mr. President.

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