Challenger questions Smith on vets' issue
By KATHLEEN CANNON, Burlington Co. Times from the Web, October 10, 2004
TRENTON -- The incumbent and the challenger running in the Fourth Congressional district are vying for the votes of veterans.
As U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th of Hamilton Township, this weekend is due to receive an award from the Vietnam Veterans of America, his Democratic challenger, Amy Vasquez of Burlington City, issued a statement criticizing his record on veterans issues.
Smith dismissed Vasquez's complaint, noting that funding for veterans services has increased since he took over chairmanship of the House Veterans Committee three years ago.
"I have a record of accomplishment,'' he said in an interview, pointing to recent bills increasing GI benefits, providing assistance to military family members, and helping homeless veterans, among other initiatives.
Vasquez downplayed the veterans' endorsement, which is scheduled to be announced today at an event at Fort Monmouth.
Instead, she said she is relying on what veterans have told her during the course of the campaign.
"My role is to speak up for them and to challenge why my opponent has not voted for them on some very important issues,'' she said.
"I've spoken to veterans who say they have these problems and they are not being addressed by my opponent.''
Specifically, Vasquez took Smith to task for a recent vote to extend prior levels of funding for such veterans programs as health and housing, VA facilities and benefits, into the new fiscal year.
In effect, he voted for a cut, she said.
But the Smith campaign said the vote was to keep government running past the start of the new fiscal year Oct. 1 so government wouldn't shut down.
The stopgap measure passed the Senate unanimously and received overwhelming bipartisan support in the House, said his spokesman, Nick Manetto.
"Her attack is patently absurd. If she opposed the resolution, that implies she is for shutting down government,'' he said.
Vasquez also criticized Smith for not supporting a full and immediate repeal of a measure that denies disabled military retirees dual benefits for both their service and their disability.
But Smith helped broker a $22 billion agreement to phase out the penalty, which dates back to the Spanish-American War, over the next 10 years, according to Manetto.
The veterans' endorsement is but one that the incumbent has accumulated in this, his 12th re-election bid.
The New Jersey Environmental Federation, the Million Mom March, the New Jersey AFL-CIO and Fraternal Order of Police and other labor organizations are also endorsing him.
Vasquez, meanwhile, has earned the nod of the National Organization for Women, Planned Parenthood, Howard Dean and Congress for Peace.
Vasquez, who is spending a mere fraction of Smith's campaign account on her grassroots campaign, downplayed the powerful groups that are siding with Smith.
"It's just part of being an incumbent. Some of these endorsement are from lobbyist organizations who have a lot of stake,'' she said.
"That's the power of incumbency.''
To which Smith replied, "People recognize that I'm a workhorse, not a show horse.''
Email: kcannon@phillyBurbs.com
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