VFW ‘Disgusted’ With White House and Congress

In a sign of frayed tempers in the eighth day of the government shutdown, the Veterans of Foreign Wars put out a press release headlined, “VFW Disgusted With Elected Leadership.”

“The nation’s oldest and largest war veterans’ organization is disgusted with the partisan bickering and government paralysis caused by a White House and Congress who will not budge from their ideological extremes in order to properly take care of America’s true heroes,” the release said.

William A. Thien, VFW’s national commander, lambasted the “failed leaership” in Washington for not providing death benefits for troops killed in action – picked up today by the Fisher House Foundation – furlough of VA claims processors, shutdown of regional VA offices and the closure of Veteran Memorials.

"This is totally unacceptable and disgraceful that our elected leaders in Washington would allow this to happen,” the fired up Thien said. “We need leadership, not more rhetoric, and if the government is unable to take care of veterans, then the government should quit creating us.”

I hope the VFW sent a copy of this broadside directly to our only Canadian senator who thinks he runs the United States.