Rep. Braun accuses Joe of being silent on VA MISSION Act hours after Joe already voted for the bill
INDIANAPOLIS – Rep. Braun’s gaffe-strewn campaign is developing a reputation for not letting facts get in the way of partisan politics, this time by falsely attacking Joe Donnelly for not supporting crucial veterans legislation hours after Joe had voted to advance it.
Yesterday, Joe joined a bipartisan majority in the Senate to move forward with the VA MISSION Act, a bill designed to improve access and options for veterans’ health care. Later that day, however, Rep. Braun released a statement falsely claiming Joe hadn’t shown support for the bill – hours after he voted for it.
Rep. Braun’s release earned the GOP candidate ridicule from Roll Call:
The overwhelmingly bipartisan nature of the Senate vote to move the process along did not prevent at least one Republican from making an attempt to score political points.
Indiana Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly was among the gaggle of senators supporting the measure, but Mike Braun, the GOP nominee who is seeking to unseat Donnelly, still tried to criticize him over it hours later.
…“Today, I’m calling on him to do the right thing and get behind this legislation,” [Rep. Braun said.]
In effect, Donnelly already had.
Rep. Braun’s foolhardy statement was the second time in two weeks he’s undermined himself by getting basic policy facts wrong. Last week he sent out a press release condemning senators who shut down the government, even though he’s said he’d have voted repeatedly this year for government shutdowns, while Joe has never voted for a government shutdown.
Joe’s vote shouldn’t have come as a surprise, either, as he has a long-standing history of reaching across the aisle to improve veterans health care. Joe’s supported multiple bills in the Senate to expand veterans’ access to health care, including the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014, designed to reduce wait times at VA health care facilities. He’s also repeatedly voted to expand the VA Choice program.
“After two false attacks in two weeks, people are noticing that Rep. Braun isn’t one to let the facts or his own ignorance get in the way of partisan politics,” said Michael Feldman, spokesman for the Indiana Democratic Party. “If Rep. Braun did his homework, he’d know Joe has a long record of fighting to expand veterans’ access to health care – and that his votes to do so are publicly available. Rep. Braun should spend a little less time in the swamp raising money with Mitch McConnell and a little more time learning how the Senate actually works.”
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