“Bravery and courage come in many forms, and on this Veterans Day we honor the men and women who have exhibited these virtues in service to our nation and to the American people. In each decade, there are those who threaten our nation’s freedoms. In times of duress and in the face of immense challenges, servicemen and women displayed strength and fortitude to preserve our democracy. Our veterans are the truest American heroes, and as we honor all them today we must also pause to remember the countless individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice and laid down their lives for their country.

“Nevada is home to one of our nation’s fastest growing veterans communities. I am proud to celebrate the nearly 300,000 veterans in the Silver State who protected our freedoms. On the beaches of Normandy, in Kabul, Baghdad, and in countless other places, Nevadans and millions of brave American soldiers went into the crosshairs of danger to fight under our nation’s flag. When these individuals enlisted, their government promised to look after them and their families. This is a solemn vow that we must always uphold.

“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, and in recent years I have led Senate Democrats to work with Republicans to ensure veterans have access to the highest quality health services and that they have opportunities to find jobs when they return home.

“When the vitality of our veterans is strong, our communities and our nation is made stronger. I extend heartfelt thanks to veterans everywhere for their significant contributions to our country.”

“The least we can do for veterans, after they fought for this country abroad, is to ensure they never have to fight for a job when they come home to Nevada, or any other state. Yet, Republicans stalled and eventually blocked the Veterans Jobs Corps Act with one procedural excuse after another. My colleagues have played politics with all types of common sense measures, just because those measures are supported by President Obama. But blocking a veterans’ jobs bill is a new low, and truly disappointing to me and to tens of thousands of service members.

“Each year 200,000 brave members of our Armed Forces reenter the civilian workforce. This bill would have eased their transition to civilian life with job training programs and priority hiring for first responder jobs as police officers, fire fighters or rescue workers. Once, a proposal like this would have sailed through the Senate with bipartisan support. But today my Republican colleagues put election-year partisanship ahead of the men and women who risked their lives to protect our freedoms.”

AP – Republican objections to spending in veterans jobs bill blocks election-year legislation -The Senate blocked legislation Wednesday that would have established a $1 billion jobs program putting veterans back to work tending to the country’s federal lands and bolstering local police and fire departments. Republicans said the spending authorized in the bill violated limits that Congress agreed to last year. Democrats fell two votes shy of the 60-vote majority needed to waive the objection, forcing the legislation back to committee. LINK

Roll Call – Senate GOP Blocks Veterans Jobs Bill - Senate Republicans today defeated Democratic legislation designed to help veterans get jobs, complaining that the measure violates budget rules and is meant to score political points rather than help veterans. “Americans don’t trust us,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee. “And why should Americans trust us when we keep using gimmicks and budget sleight of hand to hide more spending and drive the country further into debt.” LINK

National Journal – Senate Republicans Stop Vote On Vet Jobs Bill - Senate Republicans effectively killed a measure to find jobs for unemployed veterans on a procedural vote Wednesday, after several attempts by Democrats to keep the bill on the table failed.  Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., raised a point of order against the bill on Wednesday, citing alleged violations of Senate budget rules. Since three-fifths of the chamber did not vote to waive the rules, the legislation cannot move forward.LINK

Washington Post – Bill to create Veterans Job Corps fails to advance - Legislation to create a Veterans Job Corps suffered a major defeat Wednesday afternoon after Republicans successfully blocked the bill’s advance with a budgetary point of order. The Senate voted 58 to 43 largely on party lines in favor of waiving the procedural objection, short of the three-fifths majority needed. Republicans said the bill was in violation of the Budget Control Act, prohibiting new programs that would add to the deficit. LINK

The Guardian – Veterans’ bill voted down by GOP as Senate Democrats proclaim ‘new low’ -Republicans have voted down legislation that would have established a $1bn jobs programme to put unemployed veterans back to work as firefighters, police officers and in public work projects. They objected to the cost of the bill, which they said violates spending limits agreed to last year in Congress. Democrats and veterans groups say its cost are fully offset. The bill, which had bipartisan support in the Senate and would have given priority to post-9/11 veterans whose employment prospects are three points below the national average, fell two votes short of the majority of 60 needed to waive Republican objections. LINK

It’s Thursday, which means Republicans have once against forced the Senate to waste the better part of a week jumping through procedural hoops.

This week the Senate waited out yet another filibuster – the 380th filibuster in my six years as Majority Leader.

But this time Republicans aren’t just obstructing a measure that would create jobs.

They’re obstructing a measure that would create jobs for the men and women who have risked their lives over the last 11 years to protect our freedoms.

Each year 200,000 service members reenter the civilian workforce.

The Veterans Jobs Corps Act would invest in those returning veterans – easing the transition back to civilian life with job training programs and priority hiring for first responder positions.

If young veterans want to continue their service to country and community by becoming police officers, fire fighters or rescue workers, we should help them achieve that goal.

And this legislation would also create jobs for veterans restoring forests, parks, coasts and public lands.

The least we can do for those who have fought for this country abroad is to ensure they never have to fight for a job when they come home.

This is the kind of proposal that should sail through the Senate with bipartisan support.

Instead, it has met one Republican stall tactic after another.

Not only has this bill faced a string of procedural hurdles, Republicans have larded it up with unrelated, ideological amendments.

And while some of those amendments are certainly important, they don’t belong on any jobs measure, let alone a jobs measure that would assist returning veterans.

Unfortunately, I’m not surprised to see the GOP blocking a jobs bill.

After all, that’s been their tactic all year. In fact, it’s been their tactic for nearly four years.

The Republican Leader, Mitch McConnell, said so himself.

During the darkest days of the Great Recession, he said his number one goal was to defeat President Obama – not to create jobs or boost the economy.

And that’s still true today.

But I am dismayed to see them blocking a jobs bill aimed at protecting those who protect this nation.

This is a new low for Republicans.

At a time when 175,000 post-9/11 veterans are out of work, we can’t afford to waste time with election-year politics.

Less than three weeks before his death, John F. Kennedy wrote that, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

It is time for the Senate to show its gratitude to a new generation of veterans with deeds.

And so I hope my Republican colleagues will find it in themselves to put America’s veterans first and their political aspirations second.

“This Veterans Day Congress pays tribute to those who have put their lives on the line to defend our country with deeds as well as words. I am glad Senate Republicans joined us to pass legislation that will help spur hiring among the nearly 900,000 out-of-work veterans in this country and in Nevada. This includes a quarter of a million young veterans of the global fight against terrorism. The best way for the House to honor our troops on Veterans Day would be to pass this bill tomorrow. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines fighting overseas should be focused on the job at hand, not how they’ll find a job when they come home.

“While we need to do more to maintain our commitment to our nation’s heroes, today’s vote was an important step in the right direction. Now that we have begun the important task of putting veterans back to work, I hope Republicans will cooperate with us as we focus on putting the rest of America back to work as well.”

Yesterday my friend, the Republican Leader, ticked off a list of bills he believes Democrats and Republicans can agree on.

I couldn’t help but notice that VOW to Hire Heroes legislation that would give tax cuts to companies that hire out-of-work and disabled veterans wasn’t on that list.

This bill ought to be free of even the whiff of controversy.

House Republicans already voted for a major component of the bill — a plan to give older veterans access to job training so they can keep up with a rapidly-changing workplace and help young veterans transition from active duty service to the civilian workplace.

The bill wouldn’t add a dime to the deficit, so there should be no objection there. It’s paid for with the non-controversial extension of an existing fee on VA-backed mortgages. It’s a version of the same pay-for House Republicans already voted for.

Republicans have supported tax credits for companies that hire out-of-work and disabled veterans in the past, so that can’t be the holdup.

And we’ll pass this important legislation as an amendment to a bill, sent over from the House, to repeal a 3 percent withholding from government contractors. Republicans have been champing at the bit to pass this measure, so the House vehicle for VOW to Hire Heroes is not the source of their radio silence.

There are no procedural or philosophical hurdles to passing this bill. But don’t take my word for it.

This is what Jeff Miller, the Republican Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs said about our bipartisan legislation yesterday:

“Today, we are putting aside politics and putting America’s veterans first. This is the how the process should work… The VOW Act, which passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, provides the framework for this legislation and gets to the root of many of the employment problems our veterans face.”

And with nearly a quarter of a million Iraq and Afghanistan veterans unemployed, this legislation can’t come a moment too soon.

Yet Senate Republicans have remained curiously silent on this bill.

It is inconceivable that my Republican colleagues believe this legislation to be unnecessary. But it also seemed unthinkable that Republicans would unanimously oppose legislation to create hundreds of thousands of jobs for teachers, police officers, fire fighters and construction workers.

So let me be clear what is at stake here.

The number of unemployed, post-9/11 veterans has gone up by 30,000 in the last year alone. Nearly 250,000 men and woman who volunteered to fight overseas for the flag — and the freedoms and privileges it represents — can’t find a job here at home.

And that number will only grow as two wars draw to a close.

One in five young veterans — veterans under the age of 25 — is unemployed.

On any given night, 76,000 veterans, including 2,500 in Nevada, sleep on the streets.

Over the course of a year, that number doubles. Nearly 145,000 veterans spend at least one night a year in shelters or other temporary housing.

We should all be able to agree that even one night is too many for our nation’s heroes to pass without a roof over their heads.

And young veterans are more than twice as likely as their peers to be homeless, and four times as likely to live in poverty.

During tough economic times when some young people join the military for a way to escape the cycle of poverty, this statistic is shocking and disheartening.

So I call on the Minority Leader and the rest of my Republican colleagues to break the silence. Where do they stand on the VOW to Hire Heroes Act?

I ask my Republican colleagues, do you believe we should lend a helping hand to those who defend our freedom? Or do you think this nation’s responsibility to its veterans ends the day they take off the uniform?

Andrew Carnegie once said that the older he got, the less mind he paid to what men say. “I just watch what they do,” Carnegie said.

I remind my Republican friends, the men and women of the United States Armed Forces — those who wear the uniform today and those who wore it once — are watching what you do today.

Every man or woman who puts on the uniform of the United States Armed Forces takes a solemn oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies.

With that oath comes an obligation: to defend the freedoms for which this noble nation stands and upon which it was founded, without regard to the personal price.

And for this service, the United States makes a promise to our soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen in return.

That promise isn’t about flag waving or yellow ribbons. And it lasts long after the parades and holidays are over, through every day of every year of their lives.

It is a guarantee that the American Dream for which every service member fights — and for which many of their comrades have died — will be waiting for them when they come home.

But since September 11, 2001, this country has allowed that promise to lapse. Today, there are 240,000 unemployed veterans of the fight against global terrorism.

Among veterans who served since September 11, unemployment is 12.1 percent — more than three percentage points higher than among the general population. Among the youngest veterans, those under 25, the unemployment rate was nearly 22 percent last year.

These young men and women volunteered to fight terrorism abroad, but their struggles didn’t end when they came home. Despite their service and experience, a quarter of a million post-9/11 veterans can’t find jobs in today’s dismal economy and rapidly-changing workforce.

It is time for this country to make good on its promise. As we pay tribute this week to the millions of Americans veterans who have faithfully served our flag, Democrats will introduce legislation to put those men and women back to work.

VOW to Hire Heroes will offer tax credits to companies who hire unemployed veterans or veterans who were discharged in the last five years. The legislation will give an additional tax credit to firms that hire unemployed veterans with service-related disabilities.

Disabled veterans will also be eligible for an additional year of vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits under the legislation.

The plan makes transition assistance — including resume writing workshops and career counseling — mandatory for all service members being discharged. Although our veterans are coming home with greater technical and leadership skills than ever before, those skills don’t always translate to a civilian resume. This program will bridge that gap.

Many federal agencies — such as the VA and Homeland Security — badly need employees with the unique skill veterans possess. This legislation will also make it possible for service members to apply for those jobs before they leave the military.

This will allow soldiers to transition from serving their country in uniform to serving in the civilian world without a gap in employment.

And to keep our promise to older veterans, the legislation will expand education and training opportunities at community colleges and technical schools for 100,000 unemployed veterans who served before September 11.

Democrats believe we owe it to the men and women who have fought for us abroad to fight for them at home.

VOW to Hire Heroes is our fourth attempt to pass common-sense legislation that puts Americans back to work and jump-starts our economy.

Senate Republicans unanimously opposed our last three jobs bills, although those bills had the support of a vast majority of Americans — Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike. Meanwhile, Republicans have yet to propose a single idea of their own to create jobs.

Their obstruction has cost hundreds of thousands of teacher and first responder jobs. It has cost hundreds of thousands of construction jobs, and put reconstruction of our nation’s crumbling roads, bridges and runways on hold.

Now we will see whether Senate Republicans are willing to put jobs for veterans at risk as well. I certainly hope they are not.

I hope they will join us this week in supporting legislation that uses ideas originally proposed by Republicans and Democrats to put this nation’s veterans back to work without adding a penny to the deficit.

I believe every man and woman serving in the Senate today is a patriot. I know each and every one of us supports the members of the U.S. Armed Forces and is grateful to every veteran who has served.

This week we have the opportunity to express our gratitude and our patriotism with action.

So far, Republicans have stood firm against even the most reasonable plans to create millions of jobs for the sake of politics. But it is only a matter of time before they break and join Democrats in our efforts to create jobs and get the economy back on track.

As Veterans’ Day approaches, I urge my Republican colleagues to abandon partisanship and help us honor a commitment to this country’s heroes.

With Unemployment Rate Among Iraq and Afghanistan Vets Rising to 12.1%, Senators Say Now Is Time To Act To Put Vets Back to Work

Fully Paid-For Legislation Contains Bipartisan Vets Training Initiative—Bill Will Receive Vote in Senate Next Week

Washington, DC— Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jon Tester (D-MT) and Max Baucus (D-MT) unveiled the “VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011,” which combines a key component of President Obama’s jobs bill with a related, bipartisan initiative to boost employment opportunities for veterans.

After serving our country honorably, all veterans deserve the chance to earn a paycheck and support their families.  Unfortunately, the unemployment rate for veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan remains stubbornly high.  Borrowing from the American Jobs Act proposed by the President, the bill unveiled Friday would offer a tax credit for companies that hire unemployed veterans, and will increase existing tax credits for companies that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities. In addition, following negotiations with House Republicans, the legislation contains bipartisan provisions to ensure that all service members transitioning to civilian life receive the job training skills they need to find a job.

Cost estimates for the fully paid-for legislation were expected to be available Monday after the bill is filed. It is expected to be offered as an amendment to separate legislation that eliminates a withholding requirement for government contractors.

“The bill we are introducing is a bipartisan and comprehensive approach to getting our nation’s veterans back to work,” said Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “It includes Republican and Democratic ideas because getting our veterans the financial security and dignity a job provides should never be partisan. For too long in this country we have patted our veterans on the back for their service and then pushed them out into the job market alone. With this bill we are giving our veterans the job skills to get their foot in the door and incentivizing employers to make sure that door is open to them.”

“No veteran should stand at the back of any unemployment line,” Senator Debbie Stabenow said.  “When we say ‘support our troops’ that can’t just be lip-service, we must support them through action.  Congress shouldn’t just pass a resolution honoring Veterans Day next week, it needs to take real action to help America’s one million unemployed veterans get back to work.”

“Our commitment to our service members shouldn’t end when they return home as skilled, experienced civilians. Today, the unemployment rate for young veterans is 27 percent—which is simply unacceptable. That means more than one in four of these young veterans can’t find a job to support their family or to ease the transition to civilian life,” Senator Sherrod Brown said. “Our veterans’ service to our country does not stop when they leave the military. From leadership experience to technical and scientific skills, veterans are key to our nation’s economic competitiveness.”

“It’s unacceptable that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have a higher unemployment rate than the rest of America, and we owe them better than that,” Senator Jon Tester said.  “We have a responsibility to empower all veterans with the tools they need to find good-paying jobs.  And this plan incorporates bipartisan ideas to ease the transition between military service and the civilian workforce.”

“The unemployment level we are seeing among our veterans is a disgrace, and hits home especially hard in Montana, because we have more vets per capita than almost anywhere else.  That’s why it’s so important we pass this legislation to give tax credits to businesses that hire veterans and make it easier for veterans to translate the valuable skills they learn in combat to civilian employment.  I’m also committed to continue working to cut down on red tape and make it even easier for businesses to take advantage of this tax credit.  Creating jobs is our number one priority, and there is no better place to start than with our veterans – especially right now with thousands of troops set to return home from Iraq by the end of the year,” said Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus.

KEY PROVISIONS:

• Tax credit of up to $5,600 for hiring veterans who have been looking for a job for more than six months, as well as a $2,400 credit for veterans who are unemployed for more than 4 weeks, but less than 6 months.
• Tax credit of up to $9,600 for hiring veterans with service-connected disabilities who have been looking for a job for more than six months.
• Makes the Transition Assistance Program (TAP)—an interagency workshop coordinated by Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs—mandatory for service members moving on to civilian life to help them secure 21st Century jobs through resume writing workshops and career counseling.
• Expands education and training opportunities for older veterans by providing 100,000 unemployed veterans of past eras and wars with up to 1-year of additional Montgomery GI benefits to go towards education or training programs at community colleges or technical schools.
•  Provides disabled veterans up to 1-year of additional Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Benefits.
•  Allows service members to begin the federal employment process prior to separation in order to facilitate a truly seamless transition from the military to jobs at VA, Homeland Security, or the many other federal agencies in need of our veterans.

KEY STATS ON VETERANS:

Veterans Account For Approximately 9.5% Of The Adult U.S. Population.  According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), in 2010, 20.2 million men and 1.8 million women in the civilian population were veterans.  Of them, 2.2 million were veterans who served in the Gulf War-ear II, which is any time after September 2001, and approximately two-thirds of these recent veterans are under 35 years old.  Women account for 17% of Gulf War-era II veterans.  Furthermore, according to BLS, about 25% (530,000) of Gulf War-era II veterans reported having a service connected disability, whereas only 13% of all veterans have reported a service-connected disability. [BLS Employment Situation of Veterans, 10/20/11.]

• You can access state-by-state veterans statistics for 2010 HERE.
• You can access county-by-county veterans statistics for 2010 HERE.

Although The Overall Unemployment Rate For Veterans Is Lower Than The National Figure, The Unemployment Rate Among Veterans Returning From Iraq and Afghanistan Has Risen to 12.1%. The national unemployment rate for October was 9.0%, while the overall veterans’ unemployment rate was 7.7%.  However, the joblessness rate for Gulf War-era II veterans, of which two thirds are younger than 35 years old, is 12.1%, up from 10.6% at this time last year. Within this group of returning veterans, 240,000 are now unemployed, up nearly 30,000 in the last year.  The youngest veterans are the ones having the hardest time finding work. According to BLS, “Young male veterans (those ages 18-24) who served during Gulf War-era II had an unemployment rate of 21.9% in 2010.” [BLS Employment Situation, 11/4/11; BLS Employment Situation of Veterans, 10/20/11; BLS Veterans Employment Figures, 11/4/11.]

Although We Are Making Progress, Veterans Are Over Represented in the Homeless Population, Accounting for 11.5% of All Homeless Adults. During a one year period, an estimated 144,842 veterans spent at least one night in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program, according to a recent report released by the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Veterans Affairs (VA).  While that figure is down 3% from last year, it is still an unacceptably high number.  Veterans comprise roughly 9.5% of the total U.S. population, but account for approximately 11.5% of all homeless adults in America.  In 2010, 1 in 150 veterans were homeless, and 1 in 16 veterans had an income below the poverty line.  On a given night in 2010, over 76,000 veterans were homeless.  Furthermore, in line with the high unemployment rate for younger veterans, “Young veterans are more than twice as likely to be homeless as their non-veteran counterpart, and young veterans in poverty are almost four times more likely to be homeless than their non-veteran counterparts in poverty.”  [HUD’s 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR), 10/28/11.]

• You can access state-by-state statistics on veterans’ homelessness from 2010 HERE.

GOP SENATORS SUPPORT VETERANS HIRING INCENTIVES:

Sen. Murkowski Said She Was “Proud” To Add Her Name To A Bill That Gives Veterans The Skills They Need To Compete For Jobs “It is tragic our men and women in uniform come back from combat and find that some federal and private sector employers do not appreciate, or question, how veterans’ skill-sets and commitment translate to the workplace. I am proud to add my name to a bill that gives veterans the skills they need to compete for jobs, an opportunity for a non-competitive appointment to the federal civil service, and enhanced vocational rehabilitation if they need it.  Actions speak louder than words, and I hope this bill empowers our men and women of action with the skills and the support to hear the words: ‘You’re hired.’” [Press Release, 5/11/11]

Sen. Hutchison Said She Could Support Preferring Veterans for Jobs “Preferring veterans for job creation; we’re for that.”[WSJ Opinion Journal, 9/15/11]

Sen. Enzi Supported Veterans Hiring Programs. “Helping our veterans turn the skills they learned in the military into a rewarding job not only honors our promise to take care of those who served their country, it helps guarantee all of our cities, towns and counties have the highest quality emergency medical personnel available.” [Press Release, 9/13/11]

 Sen. Johanns Supported Help For Unemployed Veterans. “The unemployment rate of our returning service members is a concerning sign that we are not doing enough to help them assimilate into their communities once they have completed their tours of duty They are more than deserving of our greater efforts to get them back on an even playing field in the job market.” [Press Release, 11/12/09]

Sen. Grassley Supported “Financial Incentives” For Veterans Hiring. “These men and women are extremely capable. They have a lot of skills to offer in the workplace. This legislation will clear some bureaucratic hurdles and add a financial incentive to encourage employers to seek out veterans. These steps are a logical follow-up to my effort to increase the IRS’ hiring of veterans. The IRS saw the value of this pool of potential workers and followed through on increased hiring of veterans. Other employers, including small businesses, should have similar opportunities.” [Press Release, 1/26/11]

Sen. Boozman Supported Funding to Help Homeless Veterans Get Back Into Society and Into Jobs. “While the VA data shows that we are making progress in reducing the number of homeless veterans, there is still a need to get our veterans off the streets and into jobs.  … To be successful in returning veterans to full members of society, it is vital that homeless veterans programs offer more than just shelter and meals. Services such as substance abuse treatment, mental health services are needed to lay the foundation for a return to work whenever possible. It is the ability to make one’s way in the world – to contribute rather than just take – that gives a sense of self-worth and pride.” [House Floor Speech, 3/30/09]

“Today we honor those who rest in peace because they defended us in war.  We are humbled by their selfless service – and as we hope that their sacrifices and courage are catalysts for peace, and not more war – we eagerly await the safe return of the fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, husbands, wives and friends still serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the world.

“The long list of Nevadans who made the ultimate sacrifice has grown this year, just as it has in each of the past few years.  Memorial Day is for these patriots who protect and perfect our union.  It is also for those who came before them – those who fortified the freedoms for which today’s bravest go to battle.  Memorial Day is for the veterans who lived full lives after their service, and service-members who never lived to become veterans.

“When we have lost those who gave everything for our values, the responsibility falls to us.  It is our duty to thank and think of them.  It is our honor to have known them.  And it is our distinct privilege to live in the country that, with their lives, they help keep free.”

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) today joined 13 of their Senate colleagues in commending Navy Secretary Ray Mabus on his decision to name a new supply ship after labor and civil rights leader César Chávez, a Navy veteran who enlisted at age 17.

Secretary Mabus announced the decision today at an event in San Diego, where the T-AKE 14 ship is currently under construction. Mabus has explained that the naming of the César Chávez is part of a tradition of naming these Navy supply ships after pioneers, explorers and visionaries to “celebrate the dreams and bold action of the American spirit” and “honor men and women who have changed our country and the world for the better.”

In their letter, the Senators admonish critics of the Navy’s decision as demonstrating “a disappointing lack of knowledge of the standards and traditions that are such an important part of United States Navy history,” and point to the Navy’s rich tradition of naming other ships in the T-AKE class after pioneers and visionaries such as Native American explorer Sacagawea, aviator Amelia Earhart, Navy Master Diver Carl Brashear, astronaut Alan Shepard, explorers Lewis and Clark, and civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

In addition to Senators Boxer and Reid, the letter is signed by Senators Bennet (D-CO), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Durbin (D-IL), Levin (D-MI), Merkley (D-OR), Menendez (D-NJ), Gillibrand (D-NY), Leahy (D-VT), Murray (D-WA), Reed (D-RI), Schumer (D-NY), Stabenow (D-MI) and Mark Udall (D-CO).

The full text of the Senators’ letter is below:

May 18, 2011

The Honorable Ray Mabus

Secretary of the Navy

Office of the Secretary of the Navy

United States Department of the Navy

The Pentagon, Room 4E686

Washington, DC 20350

Dear Secretary Mabus:

We write to express our strong support for the Navy’s recent decision to name its new T-AKE 14 supply ship after César Chávez. Mr. Chávez was a great labor and civil rights leader and a Navy veteran. As you have stated, this move continues the Navy’s tradition of naming these supply ships “for famous American pioneers, explorers, and visionaries.”

Those who have criticized the Navy’s decision to name this ship after César Chávez show a disappointing lack of knowledge of the standards and traditions that are such an important part of United States Navy history.

As you wrote in 2009, the ships in the T-AKE class are named to “celebrate the dreams and bold action of the American spirit and they honor men and women who have changed our country and the world for the better.” These ships have been named for Native American explorer Sacagawea, aviator Amelia Earhart, Navy Master Diver Carl Brashear, astronaut Alan Shepard, explorers Lewis and Clark, and civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

It is clear that César Chávez is a fitting namesake for this fourteenth and final ship. Any comments to the contrary reflect a total disregard for César Chávez, who deserves our respect and gratitude for the lifetime he spent promoting the fair treatment of workers and equal rights and justice for all Americans.

César Chávez enlisted in the Navy at age 17 and served for two years. He later went on to co-found the United Farm Workers, which has represented and improved working conditions for tens of thousands of agricultural workers across the country. Chávez’s dedication to securing better pay, safer working conditions, and dignity for American farm workers through nonviolent tactics led Senator Robert F. Kennedy to call him “one of the heroic figures of our time.”

Again, we commend your decision to name the T-AKE 14 in honor of César Chávez. Thank you for your leadership and attention to this issue.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer

United States Senator

Harry Reid

United States Senator

Carl Levin

United States Senator

Richard J. Durbin

United States Senator

Patrick J. Leahy

United States Senator

Charles E. Schumer

United States Senator

Robert Menendez

United States Senator

Jack Reed

United States Senator

Patty Murray

United States Senator

Sherrod Brown

United States Senator

Kirsten E. Gillibrand

United States Senator

Debbie Stabenow

United States Senator

Michael F. Bennet

United States Senator

Jeff Merkley

United States Senator

Mark Udall

United States Senator

WEST

Billings Gazette Editorial: Congress must fund Billings VA Clinic. “With well over 100,000 veterans here and 36,000 enrolled for VA services, the potential for more demand is tremendous. Most the Montana veterans enrolled with the VA have service-connected disabilities. Montana must be ready to serve those who have served our country. As reported previously by The Gazette, Tester noted recently that Republicans in the U.S. House were considering cutting $278 million from the overall VA construction budget. We call on Montana’s sole U.S. House member, Republican Denny Rehberg, to ensure that the proposed VA construction budget isn’t reduced in the House. We call on Tester and U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., to fight for the budget that includes the Billings VA expansion.” LINK

Vancouver Columbian: Budget cuts may cost ports $10M. “Fallout from the congressional budget showdown may cost the Port of Vancouver $10 million in federal funding for a rail improvement project intended to attract new industrial development. […] Larry Paulson, the port’s executive director, raised the issue in a letter sent last week to members of the state’s congressional delegation. ‘This action would likely result in significant loss of anticipated jobs, which are needed to help the Southwest Washington region to recover from our country’s long recession,’ Paulson wrote.” LINK

Tri-City Herald: House budget could mean lost jobs for PNNL. “Pacific Northwest National Laboratory employees have been warned that 100 to 600 jobs could be lost under the budget passed by the Republican-controlled House for the remainder of the fiscal year. […] The local impact to PNNL would hurt, [PNNL Director Mike] Kluse said. But the larger impact would be to the nation at a time it needs to make a full-court press on developing alternative fuels, methods of capturing and storing energy and cleaner ways to burn hydrocarbons, he said. ‘It’s a very unfortunate time not to sustain stable funding,’ he said.” LINK

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Sonoma County health clinics fear federal cuts. “Community health centersin Sonoma County and across the state are bracing for federalfunding cuts, with millions at stake in congressional budget deliberations.  ‘Everybody’s very worried,’ said Naomi Fuchs, chief executive officer of Santa Rosa Community Health Centers, a network of eight clinics that serves 34,000 patients. ‘We hope the funding is restored.’ […] Statewide, the loss would deal a ‘crippling blow’ to efforts to boost clinic capacity incorporated in the health care overhaul, said Carmela Castellano-Garcia, president and CEO of California Primary Care Association. LINK

Las Vegas Sun: GOP fights funding for vital Nevada renewable projects. “Since it was officially announced in late 2009, the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project in Tonopah has been one of Nevada’s flagship commercial renewable energy projects. […] But the whole enterprise depends on federally backed loans that House Republicans marked for the chopping block in the budget they passed two Saturdays ago. […] ‘It’s U.S. technology and U.S. jobs — it would just be ridiculous for the U.S. government to clip its wings at the last minute,’ [said Kevin Smith, CEO of SolarReserve].” LINK

CENTRAL

Chicago Tribune Op-Ed: Science budget cuts threaten high tech jobs, future frontiers. “In these tight economic times, people of all political stripes agree that America needs more good jobs, especially in the economically vital areas of science and engineering. Yet thousands of high-tech jobs in the Chicago area would be lost if lawmakers enact science budget cuts now being considered in Washington. Losing these jobs would create a ripple effect in our local economy. Beyond that, the loss of innovative projects and young scientists to other countries could hamper America’s global competitiveness for decades to come.” LINK

Quad City Times: Jobs program faces shutdown, advocates say. “Chuck Stewart, director of the Partners in Job Training and Placement office, said Thursday the [House] cuts would shut his office down. ‘We wouldn’t be open six weeks after July 1,’ he said. ‘I doubt we’d last six weeks.’ Stewart’s office helps laid off workers get retraining and assists them, as well as young people, find jobs. The office also is preparing to help up to about 400 Rock Island Arsenal workers who are expected to stay in the Quad-Cities when the TACOM office on the island moves its operations to Detroit later this year. The move was required by the 2005 base closing process. ‘What concerns me is we’re cutting a jobs program during a recession,’ Stewart said Thursday.” LINK

Dayton Daily News: Federal budget cuts would close Ohio’s poison control centers. “One or more of the three poison centers in Ohio could be forced to close as part of a sweeping bill recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that aims to slash federal funding across the country. […]About 90 percent of people who call the Central Ohio Poison Center’s hot line in Columbus do not need medical treatment and are told to stay home, instead of making unnecessary emergency room visits and spending millions of dollars on medical costs, said David Baker, the center’s managing director. ‘If we can give someone that knowledge and make that assessment, we can basically save $7 for every $1 that is invested in poison control centers,’ Baker said.” LINK

EAST

The New London Day Editorial: Understand effects before making cuts. “There is a cautionary tale in the news that recent cuts in federal spending could derail a much ballyhooed supportive housing project for veterans in Jewett City. In the works for years, the endeavor would transform the LaFlamme-Kusek American Legion Post 15 building into housing units for homeless veterans. After fits and starts and twists and turns, the $6 million project is finally nearing realization. Or at least that’s what everyone thought until House Republicans OK’d $61 billion in budget cuts last week, including about $75 million used as rental assistance for homeless veterans and to help pay for their case management and clinical services. […] While Congress must slow the growth in federal spending, lawmakers must first do their homework before deciding how to go about it.” LINK

Frederick News-Post: Proposed Pell Grant cuts would slash 15 percent. “Nine hundred dollars. It doesn’t sound like a large sum of money, relatively speaking, but Vanessa Morris said it is all that stands between her being a college student or not. Morris, a business administration major at Frederick Community College, received $900 this semester through the federal Pell Grants program that provides financial assistance to college students. But if a spending resolution passed by the House of Representatives becomes law, the Pell Grant program is in for deep cuts.” LINK

Wheeling News-Register: Head Start cuts were ‘painful.’ “David Murphy said votes by Congressman David McKinley and fellow House Republicans to cut $61 billion from the federal budget may cost Murphy’s children a chance to go to Head Start. […] Murphy said he has been unemployed for more than a year now, noting that he and his wife, Irene Gonzalez, are back in school at West Virginia University and West Liberty University, respectively. Murphy and Gonzalez said the federal Head Start program provides affordable day care and educational opportunities for their young children, 4-year-old Jacob and 22-month-old Irenita. ‘I know there are things they need to cut, but cutting out Head Start is not the answer,’ Murphy said.” LINK

SOUTH

Birmingham News Editorial: Cut NIH, hurt UAB. “Federal funding, much of it from the NIH, fuels UAB as a top-tier academic research center. When there’s more of it, the grants create more jobs for research staff and support personnel, who put more money into the local economy. […] Obama has proposed increasing the NIH budget, which is a little more than $31 billion, as part of his effort to invest in research and technology. But House Republicans want to carve a $1 billion chunk out of the NIH budget. […] In a federal government that this year is spending $3.8 trillion, there are other places to find $1 billion to cut. Let’s hope Congress, for UAB’s and Birmingham’s sake, finds them.” LINK

Oklahoma City Journal Record: Community health centers face loss of federal money. “The prospect of Oklahoma’s community health centers losing $5.5 million in federalmoney has their leaders and supporters worried about the future of a program that has been making significant headway. U.S. House lawmakers approved a continuing resolution that proposes cutting $1.3 billion for community health centers from the president’s fiscal year 2011 request. […] ‘I’m all about accountability, but not elimination. These communitieshave worked so hard putting together projects that will address their unmet health needs, and they may not have the chance to see that through. Patient outcomes will continue to be poor as a result,’ [said Judy Grant, director of communitydevelopment for the Oklahoma Primary Care Association].” LINK

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Job training in crossfire of deficit battles. “Carol Mullins is all for putting the nation’s fiscal house in order. But something else tops the Tyrone widow’s Washington wish list: A job. […] Mullins hopes her fortunes turn with the help of a federal job-training program that proponents say leads to full-time work for three of every four participants. She is wrapping up five months of computer training. IT is one of the state’s hottest growth industries. Congress, though, is considering killing the $3.6 billion job training and assistance program. […]President Barack Obama’s proposed fiscal 2012 budget cuts 5 percent from the U.S. Labor Department’s budget but maintains WIA funding. The House budget calls for zeroing-out all WIA money.” LINK

Dallas Morning News Blog: Conservative budget irony. “Reading about Republican plans to hack the federal budget to pieces, I was particularly struck by the suggestion that Congress cut $272 million in border security and immigration enforcement. Border issues were fresh on my mind since I recently listened to a federal-government-bashing Rick Perry give a dramatic, finger-wagging speech in Washington about how the federal government needs to be sending more border agents to Texas. Well, if the budget is slashed as planned, it would cut the number of agents patrolling the Mexican border from 21,370 to 20,500. Be careful what you wish for, Mr. Governor. Less Washington isn’t always a good thing.” LINK