Cassidy’s Attempt to Shift Blame Away from the GOP for Stalled Veterans Legislation Backfires When National Media Calls Him Out
BATON ROUGE — Congressman Bill Cassidy perhaps needs to catch up on his reading, after the Huffington Post called out the congressman last week for an erroneous press statement on comprehensive veterans legislation, which was blocked by Senate Republicans four months ago, but is now finally moving forward.
“Congressman Cassidy should do some research before he issues press statements on important issues like veterans health care — which was held up for months by Cassidy’s GOP colleagues in the Senate,” said Louisiana Democratic Party Executive Director Stephen Handwerk. “There’s no excuse for Cassidy’s ignorance of the facts that Senate Republicans blocked comprehensive veterans legislation in February. Thanks to Senator Mary Landrieu’s leadership in working across the aisle, the bill that passed the Senate yesterday will fund new veterans clinics in Lafayette and Lake Charles. At the end of the day, Cassidy would rather tow the party line and take political shots, rather than standing up for Louisiana’s veterans, seniors and middle-class families.”
Last week Cassidy’s office issued a statement on the bipartisan agreement on comprehensive veterans legislation that “only after news broke that our veterans are dying… did Harry Reid and Senate Democrats take action.” The Huffington Post noted that Senate Democrats had brought up comprehensive veterans legislation, including funding for new facilities in Lafayette and Lake Charles, in February. However, Senate Republicans blocked the bill at that time.
When the Huffington Post called out Cassidy for his error, his “office did not return a request for additional comment.”
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