Before Wednesday’s debate on the Fiscal Year 2016 Appropriations bill, H.R. 2029, U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA), chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs (VA) and Related Agencies, sent a letter to House colleagues, responding to the efforts of some House colleagues to undermine the strong bipartisan support for the legislation.
“It is important to get the facts out in response to this concerted effort undercutting a solid example of bipartisan legislative action,” Dent said in the letter.
The letter lays out several “myths” and corresponding “realities” regarding the budget’s support of funding for VA services, facility construction, operations and patient care.
“The VA itself admits to a ‘corrosive culture’ which wastes energy, time and money, and diverts attention away from the veteran,” Dent said in the letter. “This bill focuses resources on putting veterans’ care first and provides the much-needed oversight functions that taxpayers deserve. This bill sets aside an unprecedented amount of funds to meet the needs of our veterans. For anyone to claim otherwise, for them to attempt to deprive those who have served by derailing a bill that has long enjoyed overwhelming broad bipartisan support, is putting politics ahead of America’s veterans.”