Keep in mind this is decades long, under funding, and the 108th and 109th Congresses sought cuts or did relatively nothing, not only for veterans but even military care, as they rubber stamped everything related to two more long running destruction and occupations of others, Wars of Choice!
Feb. 17, 2011 -- On Monday, February 14, House Republicans introduced a Continuing Resolution (H.R. 1) to fund the federal government for the last seven months of the fiscal year while cutting $61 billion in current year spending. The bill proposes to cut $2.6 billion in funding provided to care for America's veterans. Leaders of VA's largest union, the American Federation of Government Employees, stated that the reductions threaten the health care and benefits delivery services provided by VA employees.
"This Nation is engaged in military operations and conflicts across the globe," said AFGE Secretary Treasurer J. David Cox. " The strength of our fighting force and the safety of our Nation depend on our ability to care for America's veterans. Proposals to decrease spending for veterans during a time of war are dangerous, short-sighted, and just plain wrong."
National VA Council President Alma Lee said, "Cuts in VA personnel do little to reduce the federal deficit and make it harder for frontline service providers to do their jobs. Current hiring practices cannot keep up with the present-day health care demands of our veterans, and we cannot afford hiring freezes or staffing reductions. AFGE members are already trying to do more with less, and cuts to construction projects will only further negatively impact VA employees' ability to provide adequate care."
This is not the first time that a Republican-led House of Representatives has irresponsibly cut funding for America's veterans. From 2003 to 2006, VA health care funding did not increase, co-pay increases were proposed, and investment in much-needed research to provide the best care for veterans suffering from unknown injuries languished. Since 2007, the Democratic Congress increased health care funding to begin to address the uphill battle of providing appropriate care and access to all generations of veterans. These resources allowed VA to better immediately address needs of returning veterans, expand access, increase support for veteran caregivers, address the urgent mental health care needs of veterans, expand veteran homelessness prevention and care, and invest in research for maladies attributed to military service. {continued}
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