Media Release

Justice for Filipino American Veterans(JFAV)

February 13, 2009

Contact: Arturo P. Garcia

213-241-0995

JFAV Blasts Republicans on Veterans Benefits Bill on Stimulus Bill



Los Angeles-- The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) criticized the republicans in the US Congress for their unreasonable opposition to the $198-million Filipino veterans pension provision that found its way into President Barack Obama’s pet – the Economic Stimulus Bill.

The veterans benefits is widely criticized by Republican members of Congress as having no place in the controversial and complex piece of legislation. They said the lump sum pension bill meant for about 18,000 Filipino veterans who fought side by side U.S. forces against the Japanese during World War II would “clutter” a bill that is already riddled with questionable and “wasteful earmarks.”

“The Republicans like Senator Burr and Rep. Buyer readily forget they owe Filipino veterans a debt of gratitude for winning the war in the Pacific. They only want to bail-out the corporations not the people. Republicans and conservative” blue dog” democrats are outright ingrates!”, JFAV National Coordinator Arturo Garcia exclaimed.

JFAV also blasted the rightist CNN commentator Lou Dobbs who called the proposed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 with the Filipino veterans provision a “Christmas tree.” JFAV said, “Lou Dobbs is literally a cheapskate rightist!”

Filipino Veterans Benefits bill in the ESB

The money will come out of another bill approved last year by the Senate Committee on Appropriations, headed by Democrat Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii. PolitiFact.com quotes Rob Blumenthal, Democratic Communications Director of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, who explained, “The amount of money for (the veterans pension bill) is zero.” The ESB only authorizes the money to be released, and that money won’t come from the ESB.

Senator Inouye, a principal sponsor of the veterans pension bill and the Senate appropriations chair, inserted the provision in the ESB in an attempt, he said, to “right a wrong” and compensate Filipino veterans for their heroism during World War II.

The pension benefits may be included in the Senate version of the ESB, but not in the House version.

A conference committee would reconcile conflicting provisions of both bills. It expected to pass and be signed before February 16th.

JFAV and different veterans organizationbs are monitoring the fate of the Stimulus bill. Veterans and their advocates in San Francisco petitioned Speaker Pelosi’s office last Feb 1o for the benefits bill.

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“The Republicans like Senator Burr and Rep. Buyer readily forget they owe Filipino veterans a debt of gratitude for winning the war in the Pacific. They only want to bail-out the corporations not the people. Republicans and conservative” blue dog” democrats are outright ingrates!”, JFAV National Coordinator Arturo Garcia exclaimed.

JFAV also blasted the rightist CNN commentator Lou Dobbs who called the proposed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 with the Filipino veterans provision a “Christmas tree.” JFAV said, “Lou Dobbs is literally a cheapskate rightist!”