A plan to cover a $3 billion budget shortfall in the Department of Veterans Affairs cleared a significant hurdle on Tuesday night.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Veterans Benefits Continuity and Accountability Supplemental Appropriations Act, leaving the Senate until Friday to act before benefit payments become delayed.
Sponsored by Republican Rep. Mike Garcia of California, the bill has received bipartisan support from North Carolina lawmakers and passed overwhelmingly with a voice vote.
“I supported the passage of the Veterans Benefits Continuity and Accountability Supplemental Appropriations Act to ensure our veterans are taken care of, not because the Department of Veterans Affairs is deserving,” said Republican Rep. Greg Murphy in a statement.
Murphy’s comments echo concerns that many have with the department’s handling of its budget, especially as financial responsibilities increase.
While the bill grants stopgap funding for the remainder of this fiscal year, it also demands more transparency on how the funds are spent and future shortfall projections.
Murphy said accountability and transparency is a necessary step.
“Gross mismanagement, such as millions of dollars of unjustified bonuses and delayed adjudication of sexual harassment scandals, have put the VA in the position that agency is in today,” he said. “Our veterans deserve to be treated with dignity and receive the care they are entitled to. I will not let this agency crumble, but I also will not ignore the rampant abuses and mismanagement that have occurred under its roof.”
Democrat Rep. Don Davis agreed with passing the bill.
“The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 9468, legislation to address a funding shortfall at the Veterans Benefits Administration by providing $3 billion for more than 500,000 veterans nationwide,” Davis said in a statement on social media. “We must care for our disabled veterans.”
