WASHINGTON You can't accuse Sen. Jim DeMint of only talking the talk.

DeMint, among the most stringent anti-spending lawmakers, was the only vote Thursday against a bill giving employers tax breaks for hiring military veterans.

The legislation, part of the jobs package President Barack Obama sent to Congress in September, passed the Senate by a 94-1 margin in a vote symbolically set on the eve of Veterans Day.

The measure, which the House is expected to pass soon, gives employers tax credits ranging from $2,400 to $9,600 for hiring unemployed vets and keeping them on the job for at least a year.

The bill also provides job counseling, training and placement assistance, with a focus on vets who've been unemployed for long periods.

"We're pandering to different political groups with programs that have proven to be ineffective," DeMint said on the Senate floor. "All Americans deserve the same opportunity to get hired. I cannot support this tax credit because I do not believe the government should privilege one American over another when it comes to work."

Democrats were quick to criticize DeMint.

"We're glad it passed overwhelmingly, but it's hard to think of a single reason for anyone to oppose a tax cut for veterans except politics," said Brian Fallon, a spokesman for the Senate Democratic leadership.

DeMint, a Greenville Republican, said he understands his vote could hurt him in a pro-military state with a large number of veterans.

"I'm not going to be intimidated into voting for something that may make sense politically but is inherently unfair and isn't going to work," DeMint said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Seneca Republican and South Carolina's senior senator, voted for the legislation. It also provides tax credits to disabled veterans.