VA Budget Insanity

A couple of weeks ago, the House was debating a $77.3 billion dollar appropriations bill that included the 2011 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA). While the bill was being debated in the House Rules Committee, John Boehner and other Republicans introduced three amendments that would have cut $52 million dollars from the budget request for 2011. Democrats of course did not hesitate to accuse the Republicans of selling-out veterans.

Louise Slaughter of New York said the following (emphasis is mine):

“I thought it was extraordinary that someone would want to cut the VA budget to the bone,” said Rules Chairwoman Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y.

This article from the AP quotes Democrat Bob Filner:

“I couldn’t believe it. You’re coming into an election and you’re taking money away from veterans,” said Veterans Committee Chairman Bob Filner, D-Calif. “I guess that’s their definition of supporting the troops.”

Of course, the toolbags over at VoteVets did not miss the chance to chime in and bash Republicans:

Not only do they not want their pimps, the wealthy, the corporations, whoever else they get on their knee’s for, to pay for veterans issues, and more, but they keep trying to Cut VA Budgets by millions while pushing Defense and their Wars of Choice Spending to the limits!!

So what exactly did the Republicans want to cut from the DVA’s budget? More below the fold…

According to the AP article here is what the Republicans wanted to cut (which by the way amounted to 0.006 percent of the spending bill, emphasis is again mine):

Boehner wanted to cut the Veterans Affairs Department’s rapidly growing policy office as well as its congressional lobbying operation and skim $45 million from the VA’s $3.3 billion request for computer systems, which the agency itself admits was too high.

Absolutely none of the amendments would have taken a dime from Veterans benefits. Instead, they sought the target the VA’s inefficient and out-of-control bureaucracy that does nothing to help veterans. Hardly cutting the VA to the bone.

Why does the DVA need a lobbying arm when they are literally dozens of groups that lobby for veterans already? Why does the VA policy office need more money? And most importantly why buy computers for the DVA that they don’t even need? These programs don’t help veterans. If anything, they create more layers of bureaucracy that make it harder for the VA to efficiently distribute benefits.

Unfortunately, the Republicans caved. The Republicans had a certifiable example of the culture of waste and inefficiency in Washington, D.C. and they caved out of fear of the Democrats trotting out Jon Soltz and having him bash them on MSNBC. This is reason no. 1000 why I have low expectations for Boehner as Speaker of the House.

Category: Liberals suck, Military issues