House Republicans criticize VA Secretary and Biden administration for claiming debt ceiling bill would harm veterans, calling it partisan misinformation.

House Republicans Slam Biden Administration for “Partisan Misinformation” on Debt Ceiling Bill and Veterans

Republicans Call Out VA Secretary for False Claims

In a scathing letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, 56 House Republicans, led by Congresswoman and Navy Veteran Jen Kiggans (R-VA), blasted McDonough for spreading “partisan misinformation” about how the debt ceiling bill would impact veterans. The Republicans called out McDonough for a press release claiming that returning spending to 2022 levels would harm America’s veterans, despite no evidence to support this claim.

Republicans Promise to Fully Fund VA

The Republicans also pointed out that House Republican leadership has already promised to fully fund the VA, and that veterans’ earned care and benefits are not on the table. They accused the VA of ignoring these facts in favor of baseless political talking points.

Political Games Have No Place in VA

The Republicans expressed their deep concern and offense that the Biden administration continues to use dishonest talking points to create panic and fear in veteran populations. They emphasized that political games have no place in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and that veterans did not sacrifice themselves to be used as pawns for political gain.

The “Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023”

The “Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023” was passed along party lines last week. Among other proposals, the bill would return federal spending to 2022 levels, effectively cutting spending by 22% from current levels. However, the bill does not specify where those cuts will come from. The bill also caps new spending increases at 1% for a decade, recoups unspent COVID funds, and rolls back several key Biden priorities.

Biden Administration Latches Onto False Claims

Despite no evidence that the spending cuts will impact veterans at all, the Biden administration has latched onto the idea that the cuts will harm them specifically. The VA released an analysis claiming that a 22% cut would hurt veterans by cutting jobs and funding for the VA. The White House Office of Management and Budget released a separate analysis claiming that cuts would mean 30 million fewer outpatient healthcare visits for veterans, and 81,000 jobs lost. President Joe Biden also posted a tweet on Tuesday digging at Republicans over the cuts.

Conclusion

It is clear that the Biden administration is using false claims to create panic and fear in veteran populations. House Republicans have called out the administration for spreading “partisan misinformation” and have promised to fully fund the VA. It is time for the administration to stop playing political games and start focusing on the needs of our veterans.