{"id":2343414,"date":"2024-09-19T13:27:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T17:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-passes-3-billion-emergency-va-spending-bill-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-19T13:28:10","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T17:28:10","slug":"senate-passes-3-billion-emergency-va-spending-bill-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-passes-3-billion-emergency-va-spending-bill-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate passes $3 billion emergency VA spending bill &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsenate-passes-3-billion-emergency-va-spending-bill-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2343414&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Senate has passed\u2063 an emergency bill to provide approximately $2.9 billion in funding to\u2062 address a significant budget shortfall faced by the \u2063Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This funding is crucial to \u200censure that compensation and \u200dpension payments to veterans are not delayed, as the VA had warned lawmakers of potential delays\u200d without immediate financial intervention. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-pressure-biden-to-bring-home-former-marine-imprisoned-by-russia\/\" title=\"Republicans Pressure Biden To Bring Home Former Marine Imprisoned By Russia\">bill received bipartisan support<\/a> and is now \u200con President Joe \u2064Biden\u2019s desk for approval.<\/p>\n<p>Around $2.3 billion of the allocated funds will be directed to the Veterans Benefits Administration specifically for compensation and pension, while the remainder will go towards readjustment benefits. The urgency of this legislation arose after the VA \u200breported in July that it\u2062 was facing an \u200doverwhelming number of claims\u2014more than 2.4 million \u2064in 2023\u2014exacerated by recent expansions in benefits under\u2062 the PACT Act for veterans exposed to toxic substances. Critics, including some senators, question the \u200cVA\u2019s planning and management of these resources in light of this funding crisis, attributing the\u2064 gap to budget mismanagement by the current administration. The bill \u2064also includes provisions for accountability, requiring the VA to report back to Congress \u2062on the funding situation and \u2063future \u2063budget estimates.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Senate passes $3 billion VA spending patch, addressing urgent budget shortfall&nbsp;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1764554\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Senate\">Senate<\/a> passed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/118th-congress\/house-bill\/9468\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>an emergency bill <\/a>on Thursday to address a nearly $3 billion shortfall that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-veterans-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Department of Veterans Affairs\">Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a> is facing, sending the bill to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"President Joe Biden\">President Joe Biden<\/a>&rsquo;s desk.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The bill passed by voice vote which would allocate about $2.9 billion in additional funding for the VA. About $2.3 billion of which would go directly to the Veterans Benefits Administration for compensation and pensions. The rest of the funding would go toward readjustment benefits.<\/p>\n<p>The legislation comes after the VA warned lawmakers in July that veterans&rsquo; compensation and pension benefit payments, as well as their readjustment benefits, could be delayed next month if Congress doesn&rsquo;t provide additional funding by the end of the week.<\/p>\n<p>In rare and swift bipartisanship, both the House and Senate passed the spending bill by unanimous consent that avoided taking a recorded vote in each chamber. <\/p>\n<p>The House <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3157477\/house-passes-veterans-funding-amid-spending-deal-battle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>passed the bill<\/a>, spearheaded by Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) earlier this week through a procedural vote that didn&rsquo;t require the full House to be present. The bill includes a mandate that the VA would issue a report on the funding shortage to Congress and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-passes-3b-in-veterans-funding-in-midst-of-spending-deal-battle-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"House passes B in veterans funding in midst of spending deal battle - Washington Examiner\">include future accountability guidelines<\/a> to make sure resources are managed properly. The VA secretary would also need to report to lawmakers on any future changes to the budget estimates.<\/p>\n<p>The agency has cited <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/files\/2023-08\/PACT%20Act%20Overview%20101_v11.7.22%20%281%29.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>the PACT Act<\/a>, which expanded benefits for many veterans who were exposed to burn pits and other toxic materials during military service and that a surge in demand had been underestimated.&nbsp;Republicans are blaming the funding gap on budget mismanagement by the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The VA shortfall was very foreseeable,&rdquo; said Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), speaking on the Senate floor ahead of the vote on Thursday. &ldquo;The VA has been overwhelmed receiving more than 2.4 million claims in 2023, the most ever.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Paul <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenateCloakroom\/status\/1836795273252577473\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"filed an amendment\">filed an amendment<\/a> to offset the funding by rescinding the same amount of Inflation Reduction Act funding for the Department of Energy&rsquo;s Loan Programs Office, but it did not pass.<\/p>\n<p>Senators on Wednesday grilled leaders from the VA on why they were given just six weeks&rsquo; notice of the gap in funding that could prevent veterans from receiving their benefits.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is unacceptable that veterans&rsquo; benefits are at risk and that the VA did not properly plan for this influx of claims,&rdquo; Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) said during the hearing. <\/p>\n<p>Secretary Denis McDonough also told lawmakers in July that the Department anticipated an additional $12 billion spending gap in 2025. That extra funding could become a sticking point as Republican appropriators and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) work to find a path forward on a continuing resolution before funding expires at midnight on Oct. 1.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3158556\/house-rejects-plan-avert-government-shutdown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Republican-led House rejected<\/a> Johnson&rsquo;s proposal to extend current funding levels into the next presidential administration that included a Republican proof-of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schumer-to-step-in-with-spending-bill-after-johnson-strategy-fails-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Schumer to \u2018step in\u2019 with spending bill after Johnson strategy fails - Washington Examiner\">-citizenship voter registration bill dubbed<\/a> the SAVE Act on Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-schumer\/\">Chuck Schumer<\/a> (D-NY) on Thursday said he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3159637\/schumer-stopgap-spending-bill-johnson-failed-funding-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"planned to tee up\">planned to tee up<\/a> a stopgap spending bill for a vote next week in a last-minute bid to avert a shutdown.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1764554\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1764554\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Senate approved an emergency measure on Thursday to tackle a nearly $3 billion budget deficit faced by the Department of Veterans Affairs, forwarding the bill to President Joe Biden for his signature. The legislation, which passed via voice vote, designates approximately $2.9 billion in additional funding for the VA, with around $2.3 billion earmarked specifically for the Veterans Benefits Administration to support compensation and pension payments. The remaining funds will be allocated for readjustment benefits. This action follows a warning from the VA in July that delays in veterans&#8217; compensation and pension payments could occur next month if Congress did not secure additional funding by week&#8217;s end.<\/p>\n<p>In a rare display of bipartisan cooperation, both chambers of Congress passed the spending bill unanimously without requiring recorded votes. Earlier this week, the House approved it through a procedural vote led by Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA), which did not necessitate full attendance from its members. The bill mandates that the VA provide Congress with a report on its funding shortfall and establish future accountability measures to ensure proper resource management.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, VA Secretary Denis McDonough informed lawmakers in July about an anticipated $12 billion spending gap projected for 2025 due to increased demand stemming from the PACT Act\u2014legislation that expanded benefits for veterans exposed to toxic materials during service\u2014which had been underestimated.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans have attributed this funding shortfall to mismanagement under President Biden&#8217;s administration; Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) remarked on Thursday that &#8220;the VA shortfall was very foreseeable,&#8221; noting that over 2.4 million claims were filed in 2023\u2014the highest number ever recorded.<\/p>\n<p>Senators expressed frustration during hearings regarding why they were only given six weeks&#8217; notice about this significant funding gap threatening veterans&#8217; benefits; Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) called it &#8220;unacceptable.&#8221; As discussions continue regarding future budget estimates and potential resolutions before upcoming deadlines, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced plans for a stopgap spending bill vote next week as part of efforts to prevent a government shutdown<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2343415,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AP24262656963062-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[41236,4762,3740,41235,32076],"class_list":["post-2343414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-emergency-funding","tag-legislation","tag-senate","tag-va-spending-bill","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AP24262656963062-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2343414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343414\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2343415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2343414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2343414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2343414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}