The Veterans Job Corps Act had been lauded by the Obama administration as having the potential to lower the unemployment rate among veterans, but the ambitious legislation died in the Senate on Wednesday. The measure failed to secure the necessary 60 votes after some lawmakers raised concerns about the $1 billion cost, according to Military Times.
The act would have helped provide employment opportunities for vets in a number of different areas ranging from law enforcement to conservation. Although the measure was supported by both the White House and veterans organizations, given the cost, it was unlikely to make it to the president's desk.
Opponents said the funding would push the Department of Veterans Affairs over its budget for 2013, and said that new programs aren't unwarranted, but other costs need to be cut first. Still, some disagree.
"Veterans don't care to hear about why we cannot support them," Sen. Bill Nelson, the bill's chief sponsor, told the publication. "Veterans don't care about a budget point of order."
Despite the defeat of the bill, veterans unemployment has been on its way down as of late. In July, the rate reached 6.9 percent, its lowest spot in three years.