{"id":572089,"date":"2023-04-28T01:08:31","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T22:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/veterans-sound-alarm-on-mccarthy-budget-cuts\/"},"modified":"2023-04-28T01:08:31","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T22:08:31","slug":"veterans-sound-alarm-on-mccarthy-budget-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/veterans-sound-alarm-on-mccarthy-budget-cuts\/","title":{"rendered":"#Veterans sound alarm on McCarthy budget cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/mccarthykevin_042623gn03_w.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Veterans are blasting the debt ceiling legislation passed by the Republican-controlled House this week, warning it will cut key programs and services for the nation\u2019s retired service members.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The House passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act largely along party lines in a 217-215 vote Wednesday night despite the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) warning of a drastic 22 percent cut to the department\u2019s budget under the bill.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The legislation, which is unlikely to pass a Democrat-controlled Senate and is opposed by President Biden, caps all new spending at fiscal 2022 levels, amounting to a $130 billion cut to non-defense spending across federal agencies, which would include the VA.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>According to a VA <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/opa\/pressrel\/pressrelease.cfm?id=5874\">press release<\/a>,\u00a0that would mean 81,000 jobs lost in the department\u2019s health services, 30 million fewer outpatient visits for veterans and an increase of disability backlogs by 134,000 claims, among a range of other concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sarah Streyder, the executive director of the nonpartisan group Secure Families Initiative \u2014 which represents active-duty families but coordinates closely with the VA for client services \u2014 said there are already backlogs and waitlists at the VA that would be further exacerbated by the GOP budget proposal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Streyder said whether the bill passes or not, the \u201charm is already being done\u201d and the legislation is a \u201chuge ding in morale\u201d for the military, service members and veterans.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s becoming politicized in a way that is so counterproductive and discouraging,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen the U.S. government sends servicemembers to war, it comes with a promise that they\u2019ll be taken care of on the other side.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGoing against that promise is not only wrong, but it does harm the morale of actively serving families,\u201d Streyder added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Republicans have denied that VA services will be impacted, but without making clear how a non-defense discretionary cap wouldn\u2019t impact the department.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), the chairman of the House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee, said \u201cDemocrats have spread false claims\u201d about the budget.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRepublicans have always prioritized veterans in our spending to ensure veterans have access to the care, benefits, and services they have earned,\u201d Bost <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/veterans.house.gov\/news\/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=6160\">said in a statement<\/a> last week.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cAnyone who questions our commitment to the men and women who have served should find new talking points.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) introduced the Limit, Save, Grow Act this month amid a battle with Biden over the nation\u2019s debt ceiling and what he calls out-of-control government spending.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The McCarthy proposal is a counter to the president\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/omb\/briefing-room\/2023\/03\/09\/fact-sheet-the-presidents-budget-for-fiscal-year-2024\/\">$6 trillion spending plan<\/a> for 2024\u00a0released last month, which Biden says would also reduce the national deficit by trillions of dollars through new taxes.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Looming over the budget fight is the debt ceiling. The U.S. has about $31 trillion in national debt owed to a variety of creditors, including foreign investors. House GOP lawmakers are refusing to raise the ceiling again to authorize more borrowing, a move that economists worry could badly damage the economy.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to non-defense cuts, McCarthy\u2019s bill would also raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion or through the end of next March, whichever h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ens first, and cap annual spending increases to 1 percent.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>McCarthy\u2019s office in a statement to The Hill defended the GOP proposal and called on Biden to sit down for negotiations over the debt limit, which the president has thus far refused to do.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cAmericans should expect that we prioritize meeting our veterans\u2019 needs instead of trying to leverage their benefits for unrelated spending,\u201d it said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>More than 20 veterans groups <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/votevets.org\/press-releases\/votevets-joins-20-veterans-orgs-in-urging-congress-to-protect-va-budget\">sent a letter to Congress<\/a>\u00a0this week protesting McCarthy\u2019s budget, saying it would \u201cleave many veteran resources open to cuts, potentially undoing years of progress VA has made.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur nation\u2019s veterans, caregivers, and survivors have already sacrificed too much,\u201d the letter reads. \u201cOur country must keep our promises and provide them with the best healthcare and benefits possible. The Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 does not spell out the necessary protections and puts these benefits at risk.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>House Democrats <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SpeakerPelosi\/status\/1651322805701468160\">joined veterans group VoteVets<\/a> outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday\u00a0ahead of the vote, highlighting the impact cuts would have on veterans.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Rick Hegdahl, a national outreach director with VoteVets, said he served in the Iraq war and relies on the VA for \u201cmuch of my healthcare,\u201d including medications and doctors visits.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe cuts to veteran healthcare that Kevin McCarthy and extreme Republicans are proposing will be devastating to veterans like myself,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs who sponsored legislation last year that expanded benefits for veterans exposed to toxins, said the House budget proposal fails to honor that legislation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Takano accused House Republicans of \u201cholding veterans benefits hostage\u201d in the budget fight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDespite their patriotic platitudes, their cliche expressions thanking veterans for their service, and purporting to care so much for veterans, they have failed to produce a budget that puts their money where their mouth is,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Inc. All rights reserved. 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