Elizabeth Dole is AWOL when it comes to providing benefits to veterans.

In a recent campaign stop in Reidsville, Dole said that veterans issues were “near and dear” to her heart.

Would her heart be in Washington DC or North Carolina?

Dole voted 16 times against the 750,000 veterans living in North Carolina.

“It is pure hypocrisy for Sen. Dole to look veterans in the eye, act like she cares about them, and then return to Washington to vote against them,” said NCDP Chair Jerry Meek.

“In vote after vote, Dole had an opportunity to honor the sacrifices the military and their families make daily. Instead she did nothing.”

November 2007: $65 Billion for VA. This week, Dole put her loyalty to Bush ahead of her loyalty to veterans by voting to block veterans funding from going to the President’s desk. According to The Hill, “Republicans killed $65 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and for military construction operations.” [Vote #404, 11/7/07; The Hill, 11/8/07]

March 2006: Fee Hikes for TRICARE. During debate on the Fiscal Year 2007 budget resolution, Dole voted to kill an amendment that would have eliminated a tripling of fees for veterans in the TRICARE health care program by raising the discretionary spending limit by approximately $10 billion. President Bush’s budget proposal included fee hikes for the military’s TRICARE health program for retirees under 65 and their families and, according to critics, “would double or triple health care premiums for about 3 million military retirees.” [Vote #67, 3/16/06; Washington Post, 3/16/06]

March 2006: Mandatory Vets’ Health Care Benefits. During debate on the Fiscal Year 2007 budget resolution, Dole voted to kill an amendment that would have made veterans’ health benefits a mandatory program at a cost of $104 billion over five years, to be offset by closing corporate tax loopholes and rolling back tax cuts for millionaires. The bill’s sponsor explained that the amendment “provides full funding for veterans medical care to ensure that the VA has the resources necessary to provide quality health care in a timely manner to our Nation's sick and disabled veterans.” [Vote #63, 3/16/06; Stabenow Floor Speech, 3/16/06]

March 2006: $1.5 Billion for Veterans’ Health Care. During debate on the Fiscal Year 2007 budget resolution, Dole voted to kill an amendment that would have closed corporate tax loopholes in order to increase veterans’ health care funding by $1.5 billion. [Vote #41, 3/14/06; Spokesman-Review, 3/15/06]

February 2006: Prioritize Vets’ Health Care. In February 2006, Dole voted to kill a motion to instruct conferees on the 2006 tax cut package to insist that the conference report include funding to support health needs of veterans and military personnel in lieu of an extension of tax breaks for millionaires. The motion’s sponsor explained that the money saved by rolling back tax cuts for just 0.2% of all taxpayers could be used to pay for veterans’ health care and disability payments for veterans. [Vote #15, 2/13/06; Dodd Floor Speech, 2/13/06]

February 2006: $19 Billion for Hospitals. In February 2006, Dole voted against an amendment that would have provided at least $19 billion for military and veterans hospitals, to be offset by rolling back tax cuts for millionaires. According to an official from the American Legion, the proposed funding “acknowledges the need for adequate funding to ensure our nation's veterans receive the healthcare and other benefits to which they are entitled.” [Vote #7, 2/2/06; Dodd Floor Speech, 2/2/06]

October 2005: Adjust Vets’ Health Care for Inflation. In October 2005, Dole voted to kill an amendment to the defense appropriations bill that would have established a formula by which veterans’ health care funding would be adjusted to account for changes in population and inflation. [Vote #251, 10/5/05; CQ Today, 10/5/05]

September 2005: $10 Million for Readjustment Counseling. In September 2005, Dole voted against an amendment that would have added $10 million to the Readjustment Counseling Service and decreased the HealtheVet technology budget by the same amount. Supporters said the additional funds would ensure soldiers returning from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan could receive treatment. [Vote #242, 9/22/05; Tulsa World, 9/25/05]

April 2005: $1.98 Billion For VA. During debate on the 2005 war spending bill, Dole twice voted to kill a proposal to increase VA funding by $1.98 billion, of which $840 million would be for veterans’ regional health networks, $610 million would be used to address the needs of active duty troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and $525 million would go to mental health care and treatment. [Vote #89, 4/12/05; Vote #90, 4/12/05; News Tribune, 4/13/05]

March 2005: VA Budget Cuts. The Senate Republicans’ initial FY06 budget resolution slashed domestic discretionary programs by $204 billion over five years, including significant cuts to veterans’ benefits. Arguing against the budget, the leader of the American Legion said, “No veteran should be shortchanged by those in Congress with higher national priorities than the ongoing cost of war.” The final version of the budget included $212 billion in cuts to domestic discretionary programs, including veterans’ health care. Dole supported both versions. [Vote #81, 3/17/05; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 4/1/05; American Legion Press Release, 3/18/05; Vote #114, 4/28/05; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 5/6/05; Congressional Record, 4/28/05]

March 2005: $2.8 Billion for Vets’ Health Care. During debate on the Fiscal Year 2006 budget resolution, Dole voted to kill an amendment that would have increased veterans’ health care funding by $2.8 billion. [Vote #55, 3/16/05; CQ Today, 3/16/05]

June 2004: 30% Hike for Veterans’ Health Care. In 2005, Dole voted against an amendment that “would have provided a 30 percent increase in funding for fiscal year 2005 and in subsequent years assured adequate funding levels to meet the needs of a growing number of veterans seeking health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs.” [Vote #145, 6/23/04; Spokesman Review, 6/25/04]

March 2004: Reserve Fund for Vets’ Health Care. During debate on the Fiscal Year 2005 budget resolution, Dole voted to kill an amendment that would have created a reserve fund of up to $1.8 billion for veterans’ health programs. [Vote #40, 3/10/04; Tulsa World, 3/14/04]

March 2003: $1 Billion for Veterans’ Programs. During debate on the Fiscal Year 2004 budget resolution, Dole opposed an amendment that would have increased veterans’ funding by $1 billion, to be offset by rolling back tax cuts. [Vote #74, 3/21/03]