WASHINGTON — Bad news for the nation's 19 million military veterans.
A proposed budget plan in the Republican-led House of Representatives could mean longer waits for benefits claims, and, a huge reduction in outpatient visits, according to critics.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's "Limit, Save, Grow Act," would bring fiscal 2024 spending back down to 2022 levels.
The Office of Management and Budget has estimated that the proposal would result in a 22% cut to non-defense discretionary spending.
The Department of Veterans Affairs projects the reduction would result in the loss of 81,000 jobs across the Veterans Health Administration.
Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday pressed the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on what it would mean to vets.
"Can you tell me about what this does to your budget, and what the impacts are to veterans?" asked Montana Sen. Jon Tester. "I don't care about your agency. Tell me about the impact to veterans you serve?"
Secretary Denis McDonough replied: "What we see is the backlog of claims growing. And what that means is veterans having to wait for those compensation payments until we can work through that longer list. Secondly, on health care, we anticipate that the numbers currently being debated in the House may result in 30 million fewer outpatient visits."
The VA also estimates that McCarthy's debt ceiling bill could cut up to $565 million dollars in major construction projects.
This week, 23 Veterans Service Organizations – including the Disabled American Veterans-- wrote a letter to Congress urging lawmakers not to pass the House GOP debt limit proposal, writing: "Our nation's veterans, caregivers and survivors have already sacrificed too much."
Republican state Rep. Rob Wittman tweeted in support of McCarthy’s debt limit bill, saying “House Republicans' Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 offers a real plan for addressing our national debt and getting our economy back on the right track.”