Walz Abandons Bid for Top Veterans' Affairs Panel Slot
Time to get politics out of anything having to do with veterans. Why? Because when they were risking their lives, the only thing that mattered was each other. That is the way the elected officials responsible for ensuring they get what they need after service fix what is broken.
To put a veteran out of a seat at the table is plain wrong. This is a time when veterans need to be able to be the voices for other veterans. This isn't just any other committee. This is about our veterans!
Dem leadership fight frustrates veterans advocates
Marine Corps Times
By Leo Shane III
Staff Writer
November 19, 2014
Democratic leaders on Wednesday will vote to sideline the only Iraq War-era veteran on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and stave off an internal power struggle, a move that has infuriated some veterans advocates.
Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., announced last week his plans to seek the ranking member seat on the committee, following the retirement of current ranking member Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine. Walz is a retired command sergeant major in the Army National Guard, the highest ranking enlisted soldier to ever serve in Congress.
But congressional seniority rules put Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., in line for that post, and Walz's move has touched off behind-the-scenes fights over who will be a more credible minority party voice on the committee in the coming session.
Brown and members of the Congressional Black Caucus have bristled over suggestions that the 10-term congresswoman could be passed over for the ranking member post. But Michaud and several veterans groups have publicly backed Walz, citing his military knowledge and role as the committee's most experienced veteran.
Late Tuesday, members of the House Democratic Steering Committee moved up a vote on the issue to Wednesday morning, congressional staffers confirmed.
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