Shutdown deadline nears as White House, Congress tangle over VA funding

[DonViejo]

By Seung Min Kim and Jeff Stein
November 21, 2020 at 6:00 a.m. EST

The Trump administration is injecting new demands into congressional negotiations over a government spending bill that threaten to sink the must-pass package, people familiar with the discussions said.

The disagreement concerns how to classify $12.5 billion in cost increases in veterans’ health care, expenses that are part of sweeping veterans’ care changes signed into law by President Trump in 2018 with much fanfare.

The impasse could complicate the ongoing negotiations over legislation to fund the government, which if not resolved would lead the federal government to shutdown on Dec. 11 in the middle of the pandemic — a dangerous scenario lawmakers are working to avoid.

Months ago, lawmakers agreed to designate the increased cost of veterans’ health care as emergency spending. Emergency spending isn’t subject to certain spending restrictions. But on Friday, administration officials insisted to congressional officials that the $12.5 billion in veterans’ care cost increases be considered non-emergency spending, said people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details about the private negotiations.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2020/11/21/congress-government-funding-shutdown/

[Demsrule86]

1. Why is that?

Why do they care?

[jimfields33]

2. If they classify it as emergency spending,

Will they have to do it every year or would it be advantageous to just add it to the budget so it’s not a problem ever again?

[keithbvadu2]

3. Budgeting trickery.

Budgeting trickery.