Senator Tom Coburn Blocks $1.5 Billion Settlement For Black Farmers
After three weeks of driving his tractor, “Justice,” around Capitol Hill, John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association, has been denied for the ninth time.
Justice has been once again delayed for thousands of black farmers across our country thanks to the rogue actions of one US Senator, Tom Coburn (R-OK). The landmark settlement that would right decades of discrimination against black farmers by the US Department of Agriculture had been a rare point of bipartisan agreement. After negotiations between leading Democrats and Republicans, it was set to be passed by unanimous consent, which requires all senators to support the measure.
This is the second time that Senator Coburn has apparently broke with Republican leadership to object to the funding. In May, Coburn objected saying the settlement funds were not offset by budget cuts elsewhere. The present unanimous consent motion was fully offset, and yet Coburn objected again. John Boyd has this to say. “I am reminded of another piece of landmark civil rights legislation, ‘the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act,’ as I recall that legislation passed the House 422-2, and was expected to pass the Senate by unanimous consent but Senator Tom Coburn placing a hold on the bill. Once again Coburn has stood with a very small minority of radical politicians to deny justice to the powerless in our country.” Read the rest here.
Senator Coburn, why are you blocking the passage of the Black Farmer’s bill for 1.5 Billion dollars?
Senator Coburn is also blocking funding for Haitian relief. He and the GOP continue their DESTRUCTION of OBSTRUCTION, while people suffer!
“Everything you need to know about the cynical tactics of delay and obstruction being practiced by congressional Republicans is contained in a startling investigation by The Associated Press that hit the wires yesterday.
With a million Haitians still living on the streets of Port-au-Prince amid heaps of uncleared rubble nine months after a devastating earthquake, the AP reports that “not a cent of the $1.15 billion the U.S. promised for rebuilding has arrived.”
Both houses of Congress approved the billion for rebuilding and creating temporary shelter for Haitians.
But a necessary followup vote on how to disburse the money has never taken place because a single lawmaker – Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma (above) – placed a secret hold on the bill for “further study.”
AP reporters had to contact dozens of Senate offices to discover it was Coburn holding up the badly needed money, because antiquated rules allow any one senator to stymie key bills in total anonymity.
Time to put down the booze Senator Coburn and DO THE RIGHT THING
