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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhite House: U.S. Can't Afford Veterans' Health Care Without Cuts
Last year, the Trump administration insisted that its regressive tax cuts were so important, it was worth adding $1.5 trillion to the national debt to ensure their passage. Now, the White House is warning Congress that the United States cannot afford to add $1.6 billion to the deficit to expand health-care options for veterans.
In a letter Monday, the Trump administration demanded that lawmakers fund a popular veterans health-care program which allows former troops to spend public funds on private doctors and hospitals with cuts to other parts of the budget. Democrats, and some top Senate Republicans, prefer to raise the current caps on discretionary spending instead.
The case for the latter option is straightforward. Congressional spending falls into two categories: mandatory (funding for programs like Social Security, which increases automatically as more Americans qualify for benefits) and discretionary (spending that Congress must actively renew). When Congress passed its omnibus budget bill back in March, the private veterans health-care program was on the mandatory side of the ledger. Thus, although lawmakers knew that federal spending on the program was going to increase, they didnt have to account for its cost when setting a discretionary budget.
But last month, president Trump signed a law that reorganized veterans health care, and shifted funding for the private program into the discretionary column. This did not significantly increase the overall cost of domestic spending but it did lift the price tag on the discretionary budget above previously set caps. Which is to say: It produced a budget shortfall that wasnt a product of changes in fiscal reality, so much as in accounting practices.
Thus, Democrats and Senate Republicans like Alabamas Richard Shelby have favored just lifting the caps. After all, lawmakers already need to resolve a host of other contentious budgetary issues between now and October, if they are to avoid a shutdown on midterms eve. Relitigating funding levels for various domestic programs which Congress had found consensus on just months ago is not a fight that most lawmakers want to have.
more... http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/07/trump-u-s-cant-afford-veterans-health-care-without-cuts.html
Trump really is an Asshole, what happened to his promise to VETS??
Wounded Bear
(58,647 posts)If you're surprised, you haven't been paying attention.
hibbing
(10,096 posts)All with dire concerns about the debt and deficit. All working according to plan.
Peace
Freethinker65
(10,009 posts)And pay for your own fucking lodging at your own fucking Trump properties. And donate the fucking bribe money you get from your DC leased hotel to the VA.
Polly Hennessey
(6,793 posts)to honor Veterans, supposedly. Are you feeling sick, yet? When will this monster be gone?
yuiyoshida
(41,831 posts)CAUSE those who live off their Medical Benefits will probably die starving and cold, JUST FUCK YOU DONALD J. TRUMP, just fuck off!
Raster
(20,998 posts)And I heartedly agree: Cancel your freakshow parade. Clawback the GOP/tRump* tax scam.
dhol82
(9,352 posts)enough
(13,256 posts)beachbum bob
(10,437 posts)The war will be fought for the votes of the over 60 crowd and trump/republicans will make it easy.
Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)* aka COMRADE DIRTY DONNY
msongs
(67,395 posts)smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)anything but screw them over. Especially this administration. They always talk about patriotism, but when it comes right down to it, they could give a damn about the Vet and the enlisted men and women. They are either seen as cannon fodder when they are active and dead weight when they are out of service. It's absolutely sickening they way they are treated.
Nanjeanne
(4,950 posts)but Military Parade . . . the Wall . . . we got plenty of bucks for that!
yuiyoshida
(41,831 posts)DILDO, saying some one thinks their dick is this big, but in reality, it would get lost in the car glove compartment.. In RED WHITE AND BLUE, "fuck You Trump! "