Today, Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio will be headlining a veterans town hall in Des Moines, Iowa for the Concerned Veterans for America, a right-wing group backed by the Koch brothers.

Rubio’s record on veterans’ issues is of great concern to our nation’s servicemembers, so he’s lucky to be in friendly territory this afternoon—addressing a group directly affiliated with the Koch brothers and their funding.

Rubio isn’t the only Republican presidential hopeful who has played puppet to the Koch brothers and their self-serving agenda. In August, Ted Cruz took his shot at addressing the same group in an attempt to win over the Koch brothers’ dark money.

When it’s all said and done, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and the other Republican presidential candidates have a poor record of service to our nation’s veterans and are pawns in the Koch brothers’ strategy to take the White House. The fact that access to important benefits and services are being denied to the men and women who fight for our freedom highlights how ill-prepared GOP hopefuls are to serve as our next Commander-in-Chief.

2016 GOP on Veterans Issues

Marco Rubio

Education

Marco Rubio voted to block further action on a bill that would have enhanced benefits for veterans including guaranteeing in-state tuition rates at all public universities for post-9/11 veterans. “Senate Republicans derailed efforts to move forward with a $21 billion bill to enhance health care, education and job benefits for veterans. Republicans stopped the veterans bill from moving on a procedural vote, which needed 60 votes. The final tally was 56-41. Republicans and Democrats normally agree on the need to enhance benefits for the nation’s 22 million veterans and their families, but Republican senators wanted to lower the amount of spending in the bill… The bill would have improved benefits for veterans, including better health care and dental services provided by the VA. It also would have guaranteed post-9/11 veterans access to in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities in any state.” [ABC News, 2/27/14; S. 1982, 2/3/14]

Health Care

Marco Rubio supported privatizing the VA health care system. According to CNN, “A task force organized by Concerned Veterans for America said the VA should begin offering subsidized private insurance to veterans and transform its healthcare department into a nonprofit corporation instead of a government agency. The move comes in response to the scandal involving healthcare delays and data manipulation at VA facilities first reported by CNN. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, supported the proposed reforms, saying VA healthcare could improve by adopting the competition and flexibility of private healthcare.” [CNN, 2/26/15]

Marco Rubio supported transforming the VA health care system into a premium support model. At a health care policy summit hosted by the Concerned Veterans For America’s Fixing Veterans Health Care Task Force, Rubio said, “This premium support model is also exactly what we need to jolt the VA back to life. As soon as the VA is forced to compete with the private sector providers, it will increase the efficiency, the service and its innovation.” [Official Website of Senator Marco Rubio, 2/26/15]

Spousal Benefits

Marco Rubio voted against legislation that would ensure that “all legally married same-sex spouses have equal access to the Social Security and veterans benefits they have earned.” In 2015, Rubio voted against an amendment that would “establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to ensuring all legally married same-sex spouses have equal access to the Social Security and veterans benefits they have earned and receive equal treatment under the law pursuant to the Constitution of the United States.” The Senate adopted the proposed amendment to the Senate’s FY 2016 budget resolution by a vote of 57 to 43, and later passed the amended resolution. [Senate roll call vote 121, 3/26/15; S. Amdt. 1063 to S. Con. Res. 11, 3/26/15]

VA Funding

Marco Rubio voted against providing $27 million for the Veterans Health Administration, as part of a $50.5 billion Superstorm Sandy recovery package. In January 2013, Rubio voted against a bill that, according to Congressional Quarterly, included provisions that “appropriate[d] the following amounts: […] Department of Veterans Affairs —$27 million through fiscal 2014 for the Veterans Health Administration, including $21 million for medical services and $6 million for medical facilities expenses. —$1.1 million for the National Cemetery Administration. —$531,000 for information technology systems. —$207 million for major construction projects through fiscal 2017.” The provisions were part of a larger bill that, according to Congressional Quarterly, “provide[d] about $50.5 billion for communities hit by Superstorm Sandy. Nearly all funding [was] designated as emergency spending exempt from discretionary caps, except for $5.4 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund.” The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 62 to 36; and, because the House had already approved the bill, it was then sent to the president, who signed it into law. [Senate roll call vote 4, 1/28/13; Congressional Quarterly, 1/28/13; Congressional Actions, H.R. 152; Congressional Quarterly, 1/30/13]

Marco Rubio effectively voted against considering the $142 billion FY 2012 Veterans Affairs, Military Construction, Military Housing and Related Programs appropriations bill. In July 2011, Rubio effectively voted against considering a bill that, according to the Congressional Quarterly Today, “would provide $142 billion in fiscal 2012 for the Department of Veterans Affairs, military construction, military housing and related operations. The bill also includes $52.5 billion in advance fiscal 2013 appropriations for VA medical programs.” The vote was on a motion to end debate on the motion to proceed to consider the bill; the Senate agreed to end debate by a vote of 89 to 11. The bill later passed the Senate, and after the House agreed nearly five months later, the bill was committed to a conference committee. The resulting conference report passed both the House and Senate and was signed into law by the president on December 23, 2011. [Senate roll call vote 109, 7/13/11; Congressional Quarterly Today, All Congressional Actions, H.R. 2055; H.R. 2055, 5/31/11]

Ted Cruz

Education

Ted Cruz voted to block further action on a bill that would have enhanced benefits for veterans including guaranteeing in-state tuition rates at all public universities for post-9/11 veterans. “Senate Republicans derailed efforts to move forward with a $21 billion bill to enhance health care, education and job benefits for veterans. Republicans stopped the veterans bill from moving on a procedural vote, which needed 60 votes. The final tally was 56-41. Republicans and Democrats normally agree on the need to enhance benefits for the nation’s 22 million veterans and their families, but Republican senators wanted to lower the amount of spending in the bill… The bill would have improved benefits for veterans, including better health care and dental services provided by the VA. It also would have guaranteed post-9/11 veterans access to in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities in any state.” [ABC News, 2/27/14; S. 1982, 2/3/14]

Spousal Benefits

Ted Cruz voted against legislation that would ensure that “all legally married same-sex spouses have equal access to the Social Security and veterans benefits they have earned.” In 2015, Cruz voted against an amendment that would “establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to ensuring all legally married same-sex spouses have equal access to the Social Security and veterans benefits they have earned and receive equal treatment under the law pursuant to the Constitution of the United States.” The Senate adopted the proposed amendment to the Senate’s FY 2016 budget resolution by a vote of 57 to 43, and later passed the amended resolution. [Senate roll call vote 121, 3/26/15; S. Amdt. 1063 to S. Con. Res. 11, 3/26/15]

VA Funding

Ted Cruz voted against providing $27 million for the Veterans Health Administration, as part of a $50.5 billion Superstorm Sandy recovery package. In January 2013, Cruz voted against a bill that, according to Congressional Quarterly, included provisions that “appropriate[d] the following amounts: […] Department of Veterans Affairs —$27 million through fiscal 2014 for the Veterans Health Administration, including $21 million for medical services and $6 million for medical facilities expenses. —$1.1 million for the National Cemetery Administration. —$531,000 for information technology systems. —$207 million for major construction projects through fiscal 2017.” The provisions were part of a larger bill that, according to Congressional Quarterly, “provide[d] about $50.5 billion for communities hit by Superstorm Sandy. Nearly all funding [was] designated as emergency spending exempt from discretionary caps, except for $5.4 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund.” The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 62 to 36; and, because the House had already approved the bill, it was then sent to the president, who signed it into law. [Senate roll call vote 4, 1/28/13; Congressional Quarterly, 1/28/13; Congressional Actions, H.R. 152; Congressional Quarterly, 1/30/13]

Ben Carson

Health Care

Ben Carson questioned whether “we even need” the VA system. “World-famous neurosurgeon Ben Carson told WMAL’s ‘Drive at Five Show’ in Washington, D.C. Friday afternoon following VA Secretary Shinseki’s resignation that the greatest problem with the VA system is ‘too many layers of bureaucrats.’ […] ‘The real issue is that you got to get all that bureaucracy out of there and quite frankly, do we even need that system for most of our veterans? Why can they not be served at the local hospitals where they live and not have to drive 50 or a 100 miles to get a to a veterans facility? These are honored people in our society. They should be welcomed at any of our facilities and we should be honored to take care of them.’” [Daily Caller, 5/30/14]

Jeb Bush

Health Care

Jeb Bush supported transforming veterans’ health care into a voucher system. “Mr. Bush, sitting in front of an untouched breakfast at an IHOP in Colorado Springs, told a group of veterans that he favors transferring some elements of veterans’ care to private hospitals from government-run Veterans Affairs facilities. ‘This is where I think empowering people with the equivalent of a voucher that gives you the same economic benefit of receiving care inside of a clinic or a hospital,’ Mr. Bush said in a video of the public event recorded by the Democratic firm American Bridge. ‘If you had a chance to go to another place where the money followed the patient, it would give the veterans — you wouldn’t have these kind of hostile reactions, my job is protected for life, don’t mess with it.’” [Wall Street Journal, 4/8/15]

• Bush proposed a Koch brothers-backed “premium-support” option for voucherizing VA healthcare. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Last month in New Hampshire, Mr. Bush voiced support for 2014 legislation that allows veterans to see doctors outside the VA system if they experience long wait times or live more than 40 miles from the closest VA hospital. […]The effort to privatize elements of the VA system is a priority of the Koch brothers-backed group, Concerned Veterans for America, which in February called for creating a ‘premium-support private insurance option’ for current veterans and limiting eligibility requirements for future veterans.” [Wall Street Journal, 4/8/15]

Jeb Bush attempted to privatize portions of the VA health care system while Governor of Florida. According to CNN, “Jeb Bush’s effort as governor to partially privatize veterans health care services in Florida went so poorly it was ended shortly after Bush left office. That hasn’t stopped the former Republican governor, now in the early stages of running for president, from arguing veterans should be given the choice to see a public or private doctor, with either visit being paid for by the government. ‘All of these government programs should shift to the person who’s receiving the benefit and they should be empowered to have more choices, rather than be told what line you get into,’ Bush said recently in New Hampshire. […] But Bush’s experience outsourcing veterans’ nursing homes in Florida was a case study in privatization’s pitfalls. By the time it was over, Florida officials determined the state could provide higher-quality care at a better price for taxpayers.” [CNN, 5/1/15]

Chris Christie

Employment

Chris Christie conditionally vetoed a bill setting aside 3% of all state contracts for veteran-owned businesses. “A bill that would have set aside 3 percent of all state contracts for veteran-owned businesses was conditionally vetoed Tuesday by Gov. Chris Christie. The governor objected to the establishment of fixed percentage of contracts earmarked for veteran-owned businesses, according to his veto statement. In his suggested revisions, Christie deleted the section mandating that contracting agencies set aside 3 percent of their contracts for veteran-owned businesses and replaced it with language directing them to ‘give due consideration to veteran-owned businesses in awarding contracts.’’ [Asbury Park Press, 2/22/11]

Rand Paul

Education

Rand Paul voted to block further action on a bill that would have enhanced benefits for veterans including guaranteeing in-state tuition rates at all public universities for post-9/11 veterans. “Senate Republicans derailed efforts to move forward with a $21 billion bill to enhance health care, education and job benefits for veterans. Republicans stopped the veterans bill from moving on a procedural vote, which needed 60 votes. The final tally was 56-41. Republicans and Democrats normally agree on the need to enhance benefits for the nation’s 22 million veterans and their families, but Republican senators wanted to lower the amount of spending in the bill… The bill would have improved benefits for veterans, including better health care and dental services provided by the VA. It also would have guaranteed post-9/11 veterans access to in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities in any state.” [ABC News, 2/27/14; S. 1982, 2/3/14]

Spousal Benefits

Rand Paul voted against legislation that would ensure that “all legally married same-sex spouses have equal access to the Social Security and veterans benefits they have earned.” In 2015, Paul voted against an amendment that would “establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to ensuring all legally married same-sex spouses have equal access to the Social Security and veterans benefits they have earned and receive equal treatment under the law pursuant to the Constitution of the United States.” The Senate adopted the proposed amendment to the Senate’s FY 2016 budget resolution by a vote of 57 to 43, and later passed the amended resolution. [Senate roll call vote 121, 3/26/15; S. Amdt. 1063 to S. Con. Res. 11, 3/26/15]

VA Funding

Rand Paul voted against providing $27 million for the Veterans Health Administration, as part of a $50.5 billion Superstorm Sandy recovery package. In January 2013, Paul voted against a bill that, according to Congressional Quarterly, included provisions that “appropriate[d] the following amounts: […] Department of Veterans Affairs —$27 million through fiscal 2014 for the Veterans Health Administration, including $21 million for medical services and $6 million for medical facilities expenses. —$1.1 million for the National Cemetery Administration. —$531,000 for information technology systems. —$207 million for major construction projects through fiscal 2017.” The provisions were part of a larger bill that, according to Congressional Quarterly, “provide[d] about $50.5 billion for communities hit by Superstorm Sandy. Nearly all funding [was] designated as emergency spending exempt from discretionary caps, except for $5.4 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund.” The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 62 to 36; and, because the House had already approved the bill, it was then sent to the president, who signed it into law. [Senate roll call vote 4, 1/28/13; Congressional Quarterly, 1/28/13; Congressional Actions, H.R. 152; Congressional Quarterly, 1/30/13]

Rand Paul effectively voted against considering the $142 billion FY 2012 Veterans Affairs, Military Construction, Military Housing and Related Programs appropriations bill. In July 2011, Paul effectively voted against considering a bill that, according to the Congressional Quarterly Today, “would provide $142 billion in fiscal 2012 for the Department of Veterans Affairs, military construction, military housing and related operations. The bill also includes $52.5 billion in advance fiscal 2013 appropriations for VA medical programs.” The vote was on a motion to end debate on the motion to proceed to consider the bill; the Senate agreed to end debate by a vote of 89 to 11. The bill later passed the Senate, and after the House agreed nearly five months later, the bill was committed to a conference committee. The resulting conference report passed both the House and Senate and was signed into law by the president on December 23, 2011. [Senate roll call vote 109, 7/13/11; Congressional Quarterly Today, All Congressional Actions, H.R. 2055; H.R. 2055, 5/31/11]

Lindsey Graham

VA Funding

Lindsey Graham voted against providing $27 million for the Veterans Health Administration, as part of a $50.5 billion Superstorm Sandy recovery package. In January 2013, Graham voted against a bill that, according to Congressional Quarterly, included provisions that “appropriate[d] the following amounts: […] Department of Veterans Affairs —$27 million through fiscal 2014 for the Veterans Health Administration, including $21 million for medical services and $6 million for medical facilities expenses. —$1.1 million for the National Cemetery Administration. —$531,000 for information technology systems. —$207 million for major construction projects through fiscal 2017.” The provisions were part of a larger bill that, according to Congressional Quarterly, “provide[d] about $50.5 billion for communities hit by Superstorm Sandy. Nearly all funding [was] designated as emergency spending exempt from discretionary caps, except for $5.4 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund.” The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 62 to 36; and, because the House had already approved the bill, it was then sent to the president, who signed it into law. [Senate roll call vote 4, 1/28/13; Congressional Quarterly, 1/28/13; Congressional Actions, H.R. 152; Congressional Quarterly, 1/30/13]

Military Service

Lindsey Graham claimed to be “an Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran, although he never got closer to the war than McEntire Air National Guard Base near Columbia where he was a military lawyer.” “U.S. Rep. Lindsey Graham’s military service record has been called into question because the Republican congressman, who never went overseas, calls himself as a Gulf War veteran. Graham’s Internet web site biography lists him as an Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran, although he never got closer to the war than McEntire Air National Guard Base near Columbia where he was a military lawyer. Graham, who said Wednesday he never intended to mislead people, processed wills for soldiers deploying to the Gulf and helped their family members with legal issues.” [Associated Press, 2/19/98]