- Washington Free Beacon - https://freebeacon.com -

Harry Reid 'Wait-Lists' VA Reform Bill

Senate aides tell the Free Beacon that Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) has "wait-listed" a bipartisan bill to reform the scandal-plagued Veterans Affairs healthcare system.

Before voting on the VA legislation, the Senate will take up Elizabeth’s Warren’s student loan bill, which coincides with President Obama’s latest executive action, announced at the White House on Monday.

Obama has urged the Senate to pass Warren’s bill, which Reid has already scheduled for a vote on Wednesday. It is unlikely to pass, but Democrats don’t care about that so much as they hope the issue will increase turnout among young voters in November.

It’s worth noting that Warren’s legislation has been roundly dismissed by experts. The Brookings Institution, for example, has argued that her bill "should be quickly dismissed as a cheap political gimmick."

Meanwhile, it has been a week since Senators John McCain (R., Ariz.) and Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) reached an agreement on a VA reform bill. Three weeks have passed since the House overwhelmingly approved a bill of its own. But when Senator Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) asked for consent to take up and pass the House bill, Democrats objected.

Who would have thought that Harry Reid, of all people, would prioritize a cheap political gimmick (that won’t pass) over meaningful legislation to address a scandal that grows more troubling by the day?

UPDATE: