VA Implies House of Representatives Is Trying To Cut Their Budget When House VA Appropriations Bill Increases Spending On The VA
Arlington, Va. – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) yesterday created the impression through comments made by VA Secretary Robert McDonald and in a post on their official blog that the VA appropriations bill proposed by the House of Representatives would cut funding for the VA by $1.4 billion.
Not surprisingly, the VA is yet again employing fuzzy math and misrepresenting the truth. In fact, the VA budget proposed by the House Appropriations Committee actually INCREASES spending for the department by 2.5 percent—bringing the VA’s overall budget to $163 billion, triple the size it was before the War on Terror began in 2001.
In response to the VA’s misrepresentation, CVA CEO Pete Hegseth issued the following statement on behalf of CVA:
“Concerned Veterans for America is not shocked that the VA—an organization that seems incapable of telling the truth these days—would blatantly mischaracterize the Veterans Affairs budget being proposed by the U.S. of House Representatives. Even though Congress is proposing giving the VA yet another multibillion dollar budget increase for 2016, the VA is crying poverty as Congress attempts to introduce a modicum of accountability.
“Under the proposed House budget, the VA’s budget would increase by about $5 billion in 2016. Only in Washington could a broken department claim that adding $5 billion to a budget is a decrease. Perhaps if the VA wasn’t wasting billions of dollars on failed construction projects like the new Aurora VA hospital—or if wait times had improved substantially, which they have not —the VA could make a straight-faced case for billions more dollars from American taxpayers.
“Accordingly, CVA applauds the House of Representatives for not blindly acquiescing to the VA’s budget request and hopes that they will continue to apply accountability to the VA through the all-important appropriations process.”
To schedule a TV interview with Pete Hegseth, CEO of CVA, or other CVA experts, please email booking@guestbooker.com. For other media inquiries, contact Emily Laird at elaird@cv4a.org.
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Concerned Veterans for America is a non-partisan, non-profit, 501(c)(4) organization that advocates for policies that will preserve the freedom and liberty we and our families so proudly fought and sacrificed to defend.