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Ranking Member Takano Calls on House Republicans To Guarantee No Budget Cuts For Veterans

Proposals By Republicans To Cut Budget to FY22 Levels Could Significantly Impact Veterans' Healthcare and Benefits

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-Calif.) delivered opening remarks at the Full Committee Oversight Hearing examining the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Budget Request for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025.
 

Click here to watch Ranking Member Takano’s Remarks

Ranking Member Takano’s Remarks as prepared:

Mr. Secretary, welcome. Thank you for appearing before us today. 

I believe that budgets reflect our priorities and values, and I am glad that President Biden’s priorities for veterans align with mine. 

I am thrilled to see that the budget request includes investments that will strengthen veterans’ healthcare, bolster mental health services and suicide prevention programs, support women veterans, prevent and end veteran homelessness, begin improving VA’s aging physical infrastructure, and modernize VA information technology for future generations of veterans. 

I am also glad the Administration is requesting significant funding for implementation of my Honoring our PACT Act, the largest expansion of VA benefits and care in generations. 

I look forward to learning how resources dedicated to PACT Act implementation will be allocated across different programs.

However, while I am glad to see the overall increases to the budget for VA for FY24, I want to highlight a concern of mine regarding VA not requesting a “second bite,” as has been the custom in previous budget requests.   

VA healthcare is funded through an advance appropriations process, and the “second bite” allows VA to adjust its previous ask to Congress to address unexpected changes to healthcare costs—such as new prescription drugs coming to market, or increased costs for labor and materials. 

Instead, this year’s budget relies on a request of over $21 billion dollars to the Toxic Exposure Fund, which was only appropriated $5 billion dollars for FY23. That is a significant difference.

Relying on the Toxic Exposure Fund as a means to address increasing budget demands is a risky proposition when VA has other tools, such as the “second bite.” I want to understand the intent behind this proposal, especially in light of the volatile budget climate we find ourselves in.  

As I’m sure you are aware, House Republicans have advocated for a return to FY22 baselines, which would decrease funding for VA and put the implementation of important laws like the PACT Act at risk. 

Now, I know my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will take umbrage at this statement, but let's be clear—this isn't fear mongering, it is fact. 

This has been widely reported as part of the deal struck to appease extreme MAGA Republicans in exchange for votes for Speaker McCarthy.   

I’d love for them to correct the record and prove me wrong.  Maybe they'll do that today. 

If we return to the FY2022 baseline, the math does not work in veterans’ favor. 

I understand the Chairman of the Budget Committee said this week that even if we cut spending for the entire federal government in half, he wouldn’t be satisfied. 

That is deeply troubling. Which half wins? Which half loses? The Defense Department and corporations? The top 1%? Or veterans, children, and seniors? 

Members throw these words around but don’t consider the math...or the consequences. I have deep concerns that subjecting VA to large and arbitrary budget cuts could undermine VA's ability to deliver on the promise we have made to our veterans.

I am also concerned with the level of funding for infrastructure in this budget. Year after year, we discuss the age and disrepair of VA facilities, yet we continue to see funding levels that are not realistic for solving the problems.  

As we’ve already seen in certain facilities, the lack of funding for improvement is jeopardizing the access to care for veterans and we continue to ask veterans to support a healthcare system that is not well maintained and modernized for their needs.  

I hope this year that appropriators will step up to the plate and provide funding for VA to finally address these issues and not make veterans wait longer for improvements to their facilities.  

I also want to address another infrastructure issue, which is the amount of money that VA invests in modernizing its IT systems.  VA is modernizing almost every major IT system in the Department, which I support and is long overdue.

What I don’t support is VA continuing to fail at these endeavors.  I’ve introduced two bills this week to address these issues. 

The first is a short-term solution requiring Independent Verification and Validation of these major modernization efforts; the other is the “Manage VA Act,” to create an Under Secretary for Management at the VA. 

Numerous federal agencies have such a position. VA is the second-largest government agency, with an important mission, and a large budget, but it is not run this way.  

We need to provide programmatic, budget, acquisition management support and standardization across the department to ensure that as budgets continue to grow at VA, we are spending that money appropriately and providing the best healthcare and access to benefits for veterans. We need to give VA the tools it needs to succeed. 

With this budget request, it is clear to me that President Biden, Secretary McDonough, and I share many of the same priorities. 

I firmly believe we can make responsible budgeting decisions without reneging on our sacred promise to our nation’s veterans, and I look forward to continuing our conversation today as we discern what this budget request forecasts for the future of VA.
 

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