Shortfall in Veterans’ Health Care Set at $2.7 Billion Next Year

[acmejack]

From CQ Midday Newsletter (Bugmenot required)

"The shortfall in funding for veterans’ health care is likely to total $2.7 billion in fiscal 2006, more than double the gap anticipated for this year, the administration conceded today.

Senate Republicans were preparing to offer an amendment to the fiscal 2006 Interior spending measure to address the current year’s $1 billion shortfall, according to Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Larry E. Craig, R-Idaho.

The House last month passed the fiscal 2006 spending bill (HR 2528) that funds the VA. It provided more than $28 billion for the Veterans Health Administration, about $1 billion more than the administration had sought. But it was only last week that members were told of the shortfall for fiscal 2005 — and not until today that they learned the size of next year’s gap.

VA Secretary Jim Nicholson today provided the latest shortfall calculation to worried lawmakers. “There’s a huge hole in the Veterans Administration health care funding, and it is growing,” said David R. Obey of Wisconsin, ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee."

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Lovely. The Viet Nam era military will be needing more and more

care in the years ahead, and we have a slew of new wartime vets...

My God, how can the ** admin hate our military so much?!

[acmejack]

2. I think they are Equally Contemptuous of us all...

nt

[OneBlueSky]

3. this is truly among the most despicable acts of any administration . . .

anytime, anywhere . . . to send our military off to an unnecessary and illegal war and then not even fully fund care for those who come back injured is beneath contempt . . . these "people" have no conscience . . .