RANKING DEMOCRATIC MEMBER
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Room 333 Cannon HOB For More Information Contact:
Washington, DC 20515 Susan Edgerton or
Mary Ellen Mc Carthy @ 202-225-9756
FOR RELEASE: March 13, 2003
VETERANS PROGRAMS SLASHED BY HOUSE REPUBLICANS
Budget Committee Blueprint Cuts Veterans Health Care and Other Benefits
by Nearly $25 Billion
<snip>
Congressman Lane Evans (D-IL), the Ranking Democratic Member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, today said the budget adopted by the House Budget Committee would mean drastic reductions in funding for veterans’ benefits and services. Evans called the budget “shameful” and pledged to fight to defeat the Republic budget blueprint. Referring to the more than a trillion dollars worth of tax cuts approved by the Budget Committee, Evans asked, “Who deserves to receive the benefits of the national treasury—America’s disabled veterans or America’s millionaires?”
The Republican majority of the House Budget Committee approved a federal budget reducing funding for veterans health care and benefit programs by nearly $25 billion. The proposed budget cut $844 million from the President’s request for veterans’ health care next year. Over a ten-year period the GOP is proposing a cut of $9.7 billion in veterans’ health care—an average of more than $900 million less than the President has proposed per year. For other veterans’ benefits, including cash payments to veterans disabled by military service, the Republican budget calls for a $463 million cut during the next year and a $15 billion cut in spending from current levels during the next ten years. The House Budget Committee is chaired by Congressman Jim Nussle (R-IA).
By a nearly party-line vote of 22-19, Republicans defeated an amendment offered by Democratic Representatives Darlene Hooley, Tammy Baldwin, Dennis Moore, Chet Edwards, Bobby Scott, Lois Capps, and Artur Davis that would have restored the proposed $844 million for veterans health care and added a billion dollars to the VA’s budget for discretionary programs. These cuts are made to a budget that already relies upon $1.1 billion in vaguely defined management efficiencies and $1.4 billion in mostly unpalatable legislative and policy proposals already included in the President’s budget. The amendment would also have restored the Budget Committee’s proposed $463 million in cuts to veterans’ benefits. Only Republican Ginny Brown-Waite, a member of the Committee on Veterans Affairs, crossed party lines to vote for increased funding for veterans.
In sharp contrast to Nussle’s proposal, a bipartisan recommendation from Chairman Christopher Smith (R-NJ) and Democratic Ranking Member Lane Evans (D-IL) on behalf of the Committee on Veterans Affairs, would have added $3 billion next year for veteran discretionary programs including medical care and research, construction and programs that fund the administrative costs of other important benefits such as compensation, pension and education programs
<snip>
http://veterans.house.gov/democratic/press/108th/3-13-03budget.htmVeterans' Benefits Cut
by David Smith
<snip>
The U.S. House of Representatives approved billions of dollars in cuts to veterans’ programs over the next 10 years—on the same day it unani-mously passed a resolution of “unequivocal support” for the nation’s troops overseas. Proposed by President Bush as part of his 2004 budget plan, the reductions—estimated at $28 billion—would erode health-care benefits already stretched by other budget shortfalls, raise costs, and decrease veterans’ access to medical care.
Voicing the dismay of representatives opposed to the measure, who narrowly lost the 215-212 vote in the Republican-controlled House, Rep. Joseph Hoeffel (D-PA) said, “These cuts to veterans’ programs are indefensible. We are at war and our current troops will be our future veterans and this funding is inadequate, it’s wrong, and it’s an insult.”
Republican congressmen claim that Veterans Affairs spending will actually increase, but Democratic lawmakers say that would be true only if one ignores rising health care costs. According to Ashley Decker, writing in an article at Commondreams.org, the cuts could cause approximately half of all veterans to lose their only source of medical care and might prevent them from receiving their disability pensions. VA hospitals treated 4.2 million veterans in 2001, and 70 million Americans are potentially eligible for VA benefits.
The VA reductions were one of the ways that President Bush hopes to pay for his proposed $726 billion 10-year tax cut. This is the first time that any modern president has called for a decrease in taxes during wartime. A recent Associated Press poll found that 61 percent of Americans—including 56 percent of Republicans—thinks tax cuts should be delayed in the face of growing deficits and the cost of war in Iraq. <snip>
http://www.yesmagazine.org/26courage/indicatorsmith.htm<snip>
Support The Troops
Deeds Not Words
Support Our Troops and Veterans Campaign
from Veterans for Common Sense
“As veterans, we can tell you what it means to receive letters from concerned Americans when you are far from home and uncertain about what tomorrow will bring. Regardless of the fact that many of us supported continued weapons inspections and question the need to go to war with Iraq, we are all in this together and we want our service members to come home safe.”
- “Support the Troops” Statement, Veterans for Common Sense
On Thursday, Veterans for Common Sense (VCS) launched a campaign to provide direct support for our service members and veterans who have been asked to sacrifice so much for our country. Only an administration led by civilians who have never themselves served in the armed forces could continue to demonstrate such lack of concern for the welfare of the very people they call on to fight their wars.
Early this morning, the House of Representatives voted on a fiscal 2004 budget that cuts funding for veterans health care and benefit programs by nearly $25 billion over the next ten years. Narrowly passing by a vote of 215 to 212, the budget accommodates the president’s $726 billion tax.
Coming only a day after Congress passed a resolution to “Support Our Troops”, Veterans for Common Sense views this action as anything but. The $25 billion cut passed by the House of Representatives will slash healthcare and benefits for disabled veterans and beneficiaries, and significantly reduce VA’s ability to care for casualties resulting from the current U.S.-led military conflict in Iraq. It also cuts $204 million from Impact Aid, a program that supports the education of service members' children.
To make matters worse, the Bush Administration has ordered VA medical centers to stop publicizing available benefits to veterans seeking care. And as of January 2003, the Bush administration ceased enrolling some eligible veterans for healthcare benefits. <snip>
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/supportTheTroops.aspHope this helps. :hi:
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