The Indian Panorama

Tag: Tim Kaine

  • 20 years on, US Senate formally ends Iraq war authorization to government

    20 years on, US Senate formally ends Iraq war authorization to government

    Votes to repeal the resolution that authorized the 2003 US invasion, following a House vote last month that would return the basic war power to Congress

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The Senate voted on Thursday, October 9,  to repeal the resolution that authorized the 2003 US invasion, following a House vote last month that would return the basic war power to Congress, AP reports.

    The amendment by Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, and Indiana Sen. Todd Young, a Republican, was approved by voice vote to an annual defense authorization bill that passed the Senate late Thursday — a unanimous endorsement for ending the war that many now view as a mistake. Iraqi deaths were estimated in the hundreds of thousands, and nearly 5,000 US troops were killed in the war after President George W. Bush’s administration falsely claimed that then-President Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction.

    “That’s the way the war ends, not with a bang but a whimper,” Kaine said after the vote, which lasted only a few seconds with no debate and no objections. Still, he said, “America is forever changed by those wars, and the Middle East is too.”

    Supporters in both the House and Senate say the repeal is crucial to prevent future abuses and to reinforce that Iraq is now a strategic partner of the United States.

    The House added a similar amendment to its version of the defense measure in September, meaning the repeal is likely to end up in the final bill once the two chambers reconcile the two pieces of legislation. Both bills also repeal the 1991 authorization that sanctioned the US-led Gulf War.

    While Congress appears poised to pass the repeal, it is unclear whether President Donald Trump will support it. During his first term, his administration cited the 2002 Iraq resolution as part of its legal justification for a 2020 US drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani. It has otherwise been rarely used.

    Young said after the vote that he thinks Trump should “take great pride” in signing the bill after campaigning on ending so-called “forever wars,” especially because he would be the first president in recent history to legally end a longstanding war.

    He said the vote establishes an important precedent.

    “Congress is now very clearly asserting that it is our prerogative and our responsibility not only to authorize but also to bring to an end military conflicts,” Young said.

    The bipartisan vote, added to the larger bipartisan defense measure, came amid a bitter partisan standoff over a weeklong government shutdown. Young said the quick vote was an “extraordinary moment” that he hopes “will help some people see that we can still do consequential things in the US Congress.” The Senate also voted to repeal the 2002 resolution two years ago on a 66-30 vote. While some Republicans privately told Kaine that they were still opposed to the measure, none objected to the unanimous vote on the floor Thursday evening.

    A separate 2001 authorization for the global war on terror would remain in place under the bill. While the 2002 and 1991 resolutions are rarely used and focused on just one country, Iraq, the 2001 measure gave President George W. Bush broad authority for the invasion of Afghanistan, approving force “against those nations, organizations, or persons” that planned or aided the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

    Passed in September 2001, it has been used in recent years to justify US military action against groups — including al-Qaida and its affiliates, such as the Islamic State group and al-Shabab — that are deemed to be a threat against America.

  • Congressman Krishnamoorthi introduces bill addressing healthcare workforce gap 

    Congressman Krishnamoorthi introduces bill addressing healthcare workforce gap 

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP) : Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) has introduced the bicameral Welcome Back to the Health Care Workforce Act, legislation that will address the dramatic shortages plaguing the US healthcare sector.
    Of the two million college-educated immigrants currently living in the US, including a large percentage from India, roughly 14% hold health-related degrees, he noted in a press release. These talented individuals are not working in the field, contributing to the nation’s significant shortage of qualified health professionals and workers, as highlighted by the Migration Policy Institute.
    This underutilization of internationally educated professionals, unable to overcome barriers to fully integrate into the health care workforce in America, is contributing to fewer health care professionals while adding greater strain to our health care system, the release stated. In addition, this gap is responsible for an estimated $10 billion in unpaid federal, state, and local taxes annually.
    “Every day, I hear from my constituents about the difficulties of accessing care due to the ongoing healthcare workforce shortage our country faces,” Krishnamoorthi said.
    “I’m proud to introduce the Welcome Back to the Health Care Workforce Act to ensure our health care sector is fully staffed through supporting community partnerships, streamlining licensing and credentialing for qualified health care workers trained overseas, and expanding opportunities to address classroom and clinical instructor shortages.”
    The companion bill in the Senate was introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA).
    “I recently met with students who shared with me their frustrations of immigrating to the United States, having a degree and significant experience, and not being able to find a job in their field that’s commensurate with their skills,” Kaine said.
    “At a time when I’m hearing from hospitals and other health care employers about how difficult it is to find workers, we should be making it easier for these individuals to enter the health care workforce.”
    Meanwhile, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Wednesday unanimously passed Krishnamoorthi and Congresswoman Nancy Mace’s (R-SC) Allowing Contractors to Choose Employees for Select Skills (ACCESS) Act.
    This bipartisan legislation would eliminate arbitrary education and experience requirements that exclude skilled workers from participating in government contracts, opening the door to more diverse and qualified candidates to apply for government positions.
    “Degree-based discrimination deprives qualified Americans of opportunities to compete for jobs,” Krishnamoorthi said. “The federal government should be seeking the best and brightest to serve our country, and the ‘paper ceiling’ of arbitrary degree requirements is holding our nation and our workforce behind. Job candidates should always be evaluated based on their meaningful qualifications.”
    Krishnamoorthi has long been a supporter of ensuring the best-qualified candidates are given equal opportunities throughout the hiring process regardless of educational background, according to a press release from his office.
    Last year, he introduced the bipartisan Opportunity to Compete Act to promote skills-based hiring and end discrimination against candidates without a four-year college degree.
    The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, introduced by Krishnamoorthi and passed and signed into law in 2018, prioritized skills-based and non-four-year college educational career paths and represented the largest investment in Career and Technical Education (CTE) in decades.