HONOLULU — Hawaii Sen. Daniel Akaka says he’s deeply disappointed some colleagues forced him to call an early end to a Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing dealing with homelessness among veterans.

Akaka, the committee’s chairman, says Wednesday’s hearing ended abruptly after opponents of health insurance reform objected to allowing most committee hearings to continue.
Akaka’s office says Senate rules require unanimous consent on the Senate floor for committees to meet two hours after the Senate convenes, and objections to the routine procedure are extremely rare.
The island Democrat says he can’t imagine how shutting down a hearing on helping homeless veterans has any part in the debate on the health insurance reform.