October 30, 2013

HVAC & SVAC Leaders Call for Advanced VA Funding

Washington, D.C.  – Representative Mike Michaud joined the bipartisan leadership of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees on Capitol Hill today to call for a vote on H.R. 813, a bill Michaud and Chairman Jeff Miller (R-FL) introduced to provide advanced funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The VA currently receives its health care budget a year in advance, and Michaud and Miller’s bill would ensure that the remaining VA budget is treated the same way. The bill would also bring commonsense budget reform to the VA by ensuring that the resources needed are in place in order to care for our veterans. A fact sheet on the bill can be found here.

“Our veterans deserve more than annual budgeting-by-crisis. Now is the time to extend advance appropriations to the remaining VA accounts. This is an idea that has proven itself in the past with VA’s health care budget, and the shutdown very clearly demonstrated the need for extending it now. The Speaker should schedule a vote on this bill as soon as possible,” said Michaud, the top Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

On August 1, 2013, the “Putting Veterans Funding First Act” (H.R. 813), as amended, was unanimously passed by the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and favorably reported to the House. Members of the committee are currently urging Speaker Boehner to hold a vote on the bill, which is strongly supported by all major veterans’ service organizations.