House Appropriations Committee Cuts VA IT Funds

House appropriators to cut 2011 Veterans Affairs IT funds by $160 million

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0211/021411bb1.htm


By Bob Brewin bbrewin@govexec.com February 14, 2011
 

The House Appropriations Committee sliced $160 million from the Veterans Affairs Department's 2011 information technology budget in a broad spending plan that the panel introduced late Friday to cut $100 billion from this year's federal budget.

The 2011 continuing resolution sets the department's IT budget at $3.147 billion, 5.1 percent below the $3.307 billion VA requested. The Appropriations Committee said the budget cuts reflect savings VA achieved from canceling projects.

The cuts made by the Republican-controlled committee slice $15.5 million more from VA for canceled programs than the Democrat-controlled committee did last December in its failed continuing resolution, which approved cuts totaling $144.5 million.

The Senate Appropriations Committee in December 2010 also approved cutting VA's IT budget by $144.5 million in its 2011 continuing resolution, but the full Senate did not adopt the legislation.

The current continuing resolution from the House Appropriations Committee includes a $460 million increase for disability claims processing, the same amount that VA requested, but $14 million below the $474 million the Senate Appropriations Committee voted for last December.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"

---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

Congress Woman Bachmann Changes Her Plan

Last month Representative Michele Bachmann unveiled her plan to cut the budget by several
billion dollars.

One portion of her plan would have cut $4.5 billion dollars in VA care and VA pensions to
veterans.

The objections came fast and furious  from many Veteran Service Organizations all denouncing
her plan. It would have been a devastating blow to our country's veterans and military.

The huge backlash apparently caused her to change her mind. She has dropped that part of the
plan.

“One point on my discussion list was a $4.5 billion proposal that would affect payments made to our veterans,” Bachmann said in a statement. “That has received a lot of attention and I have decided that it should be removed from consideration. The problem of government spending must be solved, but not on the backs of our nation’s war heroes. I have always been a proud supporter of the United States military and I continue to stand with our veterans. In the months ahead I look forward to working with our Veterans Service Organizations to ensure that we fulfill our commitments to those who sacrificed so much in their brave service for our country.”

We applaud Rep. Bachmann for her wise decision, and we thank her for her continued support
or our military and our veterans.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember" 

---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996