Extreme Default on America Act: “could translate to 13 million fewer health care appointments for veterans and significant cuts to benefit payments, staffing, and clinic construction, according to the [VA].”
Monday, May 15, 2023
MADISON, Wis. – In case you missed it, a recent PolitiFact gives a “Mostly False” rating to Republican claims that cuts to veterans’ benefits are not included in their extreme default plan, which Wisconsin’s Republican Congressmen Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden voted for last month.
Rep. Van Orden has repeatedly made similar false claims, even saying, “The Limit, Save, Grow Act DOES NOT cut veterans’ benefits.” In reality, the bill would force drastic spending cuts for nearly every federal program and threaten veterans’ access to the health care and benefits they earned. The bill also included cuts to education, housing and rental assistance for seniors, and other health care programs across the country.
Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh: “Congressmen Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden voted for a dangerous plan that would make it more difficult for our veterans to access the care and treatment they need. Wisconsinites expect their elected officials to fight for our families, seniors, and veterans, not leave them behind.”
PolitiFact: Republicans Vow Not to Cut Veterans’ Benefits. But the Legislation Suggests Otherwise.
House Republicans have set themselves a tough, if not impossible, task in attempting to use a standoff over the nation’s debt limit to cut federal spending to what it was in 2022.
[. . .]
And, because there is no specific language in the House-passed measure to exempt support for veterans’ programs, the VA assumed a full, 22% cut for fiscal year 2024 compared with 2023 funding and estimated reductions as high as $29.7 billion.
That could translate to 13 million fewer health care appointments for veterans and significant cuts to benefit payments, staffing, and clinic construction, according to the agency.
[. . .]
Drafting a slimmed-down budget that spares veterans is no easy task. Most notably, the VA represents one of the largest pieces of the pie in terms of discretionary spending, and, in the House-passed Limit, Save, Grow Act, no language was included to specifically protect it.
The House GOP plan does include a specific budget rescission for unspent covid relief funds. That translates to $2 billion coming from the VA. While Congress could restore that money in the future — and it is a relatively small portion of the VA budget — it would result in a reduction in spending for veterans as the proposal stands.
House Republicans like [House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Rep. Mike] Bost have said repeatedly they intend to protect this key constituency. But so far, such protections are not evident on paper.
We rate Bost’s statement as Mostly False.
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