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Might 12, 2023
KFF Well being Information: Republicans Vow To not Reduce Veterans’ Advantages. However the Laws Suggests In any other case.
Addressing the affect of the Home GOP debt-ceiling invoice on veterans’ packages, “I’m lifeless critical that we’re not chopping veterans, and I imply it.”
– Rep. Mike Bost (R-In poor health.), chair of the Home Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, in a speech on the Home ground, April 26.
Home Republicans have set themselves a troublesome, if not unattainable, activity in trying to make use of a standoff over the nation’s debt restrict to chop federal spending to what it was in 2022.
Retrenching to these funds ranges would require chopping 8% or 9% from the discretionary program aspect of the ledger, which excludes entitlement packages similar to Social Safety and Medicare. Spending on these packages is required by legislation. Different spending is dictated by congressional appropriations yearly. The latter is up for debate right here.
However, Home Republicans tried to string the needle with the Restrict, Save, Develop Act, which narrowly handed the Home on April 26. Its backers say the measure would deal with the debt ceiling whereas implementing “commonsense spending reforms.” The Home GOP management promised to spare packages which are standard with Republican voters, such because the protection funds and veterans’ well being companies.
Democrats pounced on these potential cuts, particularly people who would have an effect on veterans. Their speaking factors appeared to infuriate Rep. Mike Bost (R-In poor health.), chairman of the Home Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. On the Home ground, he drew a line within the sand.
“I’m lifeless critical that we’re not chopping veterans, and I imply it,” Bost mentioned. “The White Home and Democrats know that we are able to get our fiscal home so as whereas guaranteeing our service members and veterans are taken care of, and but, with no regard for the affect of their phrases, they proceed to talk lies about how Home Republicans are chopping veterans’ advantages.”
Video of Rep. Bost’s remarks
With such an unequivocal assertion, we questioned whether or not Bost was right. Can the GOP plan dramatically cut back federal spending with out taking away funding for veterans’ packages?
To grasp this totally, two issues have to be examined: the funds projections that recommend the GOP plan would lead to trims to veterans’ packages, and what’s spelled out within the laws.
Digging Into the Numbers
Democrats and businesses inside the Biden administration, such because the Division of Veterans Affairs, appeared on the GOP invoice and did their very own math to find out budgetary estimates.
As a result of the invoice is generally an inventory of basic spending classes, the estimates mirror uniform cuts to discretionary spending. And, as a result of there is no such thing as a particular language within the Home-passed measure to exempt assist for veterans’ packages, the VA assumed a full, 22% reduce for fiscal yr 2024 in contrast with 2023 funding and estimated reductions as excessive as $29.7 billion.
That would translate to 13 million fewer well being care appointments for veterans and important cuts to learn funds, staffing, and clinic development, based on the company.
Bost’s communications director, Kathleen McCarthy, mentioned, nevertheless, that Democrats are knowingly making a bogus assumption that cuts might be utilized evenly, and pointed to public statements by Republican leaders who’ve insisted veterans might be spared.
“We ensure that our veterans and our service members are taken care of,” Home Speaker Kevin McCarthy mentioned in a speech on the New York Inventory Change final month.
“We’ll present for our nationwide protection, deal with veterans, and safe our border — all whereas lowering total spending,” Home Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-Texas) mentioned when Republicans unveiled their plan.
However delivering on that promise would necessitate even deeper cuts to different packages.
Of the $1.7 trillion discretionary funds spent in 2022, a Congressional Finances Workplace evaluation launched in March discovered that $113 billion went to sure veterans’ advantages and $751 billion lined protection.
Shielding protection and veterans’ packages would drive Republicans to pay attention all of the cuts on the remaining discretionary funds, which the Heart on Finances and Coverage Priorities discovered would quantity to 23% cuts, an quantity much like the administration’s estimate.
Why This Debate Issues
Veterans’ funding has emerged as one of the vital hotly contested points within the debt dialogue.
The White Home tweeted about Republican cuts to veterans, prompting an indignant response from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) echoed Bost’s declare in a listening to Thursday, accusing Democrats of “lies.” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) shot again that Home Republicans voted down Democratic amendments that will have explicitly exempted veterans.
The GOP additionally may face opposition from inside its ranks. To realize their targets with out affecting veterans, Home Republicans must discover different reductions supported by almost all the caucus. Opposition from 5 or extra members would doom the laws.
The scenario is especially dicey as a result of sure Republicans oppose chopping among the packages prone to be focused — similar to initiatives of their districts — and different Republicans favor even deeper cuts.
Greater than 20 veterans’ teams have signed a letter opposing the GOP plan.
The nation’s largest veterans’ organizations have mentioned they won’t take a place on the laws to keep away from the looks of partisanship. However representatives for a few of these teams mentioned though they imagine Republican leaders genuinely need to shield veterans, they perceive it’s laborious for such a narrowly divided physique to make ensures.
“Mike Bost and the leaders could not need to reduce veterans, however they could should acquiesce to at least one or two or three or extra of their members to get the factor achieved,” mentioned Patrick Murray, director of nationwide legislative service for the Veterans of International Wars, referring to elevating the debt ceiling whereas lowering spending.
Although different giant veterans’ teams declined to touch upon the file, representatives highlighted potential cuts to packages they contemplate worthwhile that some lawmakers have declared pointless or wasteful.
“We’ve heard individuals say they’re not going to chop spending, however then we’ve heard individuals say they’re going to chop wasteful spending,” Murray mentioned. “Nicely, that’s subjective.”
One other Potential Land Mine
Veterans’ organizations are additionally fearful a few potential rollback of the landmark — and costly — Honoring Our PACT Act, which gives for the care and remediation for veterans uncovered to poisonous substances abroad. The legislation didn’t take impact till this yr.
Republican lawmakers preserve that they will make the numbers work to protect the legislation.
However the Home-passed debt-ceiling measure does particularly mandate one important reduce, as Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the highest Democrat on the Home Appropriations Committee, identified. The GOP invoice rescinds any unspent funding handed in payments on covid-19 reduction, together with veterans’ funding. When Bost wrote to the VA on the finish of March asking about unspent covid cash, his workplace estimated some $4.5 billion was up for grabs.
DeLauro, in denouncing the GOP invoice and apparently utilizing more moderen numbers, mentioned the rescission could be nearer to $2 billion.
“That could be a straight-up, ‘we’re-taking-that-back’ reduce,” mentioned Murray.
Bost’s workplace caught to its aspect of the road within the sand, suggesting the cash, as soon as rescinded, may very well be repurposed for various veterans’ packages, however famous that will be as much as appropriators.
Our Ruling
Bost claimed that Republicans weren’t chopping veterans’ advantages even because the textual content of their invoice to boost the nation’s debt ceiling would roll again all discretionary spending.
Drafting a slimmed-down funds that spares veterans is not any straightforward activity. Most notably, the VA represents one of many largest items of the pie when it comes to discretionary spending, and, within the Home-passed Restrict, Save, Develop Act, no language was included to particularly shield it.
The Home GOP plan does embrace a selected funds rescission for unspent covid reduction funds. That interprets to $2 billion coming from the VA. Whereas Congress may restore that cash sooner or later — and it’s a comparatively small portion of the VA funds — it could lead to a discount in spending for veterans because the proposal stands.
Home Republicans like Bost have mentioned repeatedly they intend to guard this key constituency. However thus far, such protections are usually not evident on paper.
We charge Bost’s assertion as Principally False.
By
Authentic Publication date: Might 9, 2023
KFF Well being Information is a nationwide newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about well being points and is likely one of the core working packages at KFF—an unbiased supply of well being coverage analysis, polling, and journalism. Be taught extra about KFF.
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