House Republicans accuse Dems of ‘shamelessly lying’ about veterans’ advantages underneath debt-limit invoice

House Republicans say President Biden and Democrats are mendacity about cuts to companies for veterans underneath laws not too long ago handed within the chamber to boost the debt ceiling and keep away from default on the nationwide debt.

The GOP-led invoice, which Senate Democrats and the White House say is a non-starter as a result of it slashes budgets throughout the federal authorities, would return non-defense spending to 2022 ranges. Democrats and the V.A. argue that might quantity to a 22% reduce to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The GOP laws doesn’t cite particular cuts to the V.A. or its packages, however it additionally doesn’t embrace safeguards to make sure the company will not be affected by the proposed spending decreases.

“Joe Biden and Democrats are so desperate to cover up for Joe Biden’s weakness and absolute failure on the debt ceiling negotiations, that they’re shamelessly lying about veterans benefits and politicizing the V.A. to do so,” House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik mentioned on a name to reporters Sunday. “This is unfortunately nothing new.”

Rep. Mike Bost, Illinois Republican and chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, sought to supply assurances that the Republican invoice would enable cash to be shifted round all through the federal authorities in order that cuts wouldn’t have an effect on the V.A.

“Let me repeat this again, and we’re going to repeat it several times: No cuts to the VA budget. No veteran will lose benefits. Their benefits are owed to them,” Mr. Bost mentioned.

He mentioned that “in my nine years as a member of Congress, I have never seen the use of an agency that is so vitally important to so many people be used as a political hammer to deliver a message that is false so that it would stir people up to cause our veterans to be used as pawns.”

The V.A. has mentioned returning to final 12 months’s funding ranges, which might quantity to roughly $130 billion in cuts to non-defense packages and companies for the following fiscal 12 months, would value 81,000 jobs and imply 30 million fewer outpatient visits for veterans.

The Republican measure would increase the debt restrict by $1.5 trillion till May 2024 with $4.8 trillion in deficit discount measures, cap finances progress to 1% yearly over the following decade, rescind not less than $90.5 billion in unspent pandemic aid, cancel Mr. Biden’s scholar mortgage forgiveness program, and scrap green-energy tax credit that Democrats handed final 12 months.

The laws’s passage turned up the strain on Mr. Biden to strike a take care of Republicans in trade for elevating the debt restrict, a transfer he has up to now resisted.

“We just passed a bill that addresses the debt ceiling. And for all that we hear from our Senate friends, they’ve yet to pass anything. If they got a better idea, I want to see that bill and tell them to pass it through the Senate,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Louisiana Republican, mentioned on ABC’s “This Week.” 

Mr. Scalise says Mr. Biden now has to come back to the negotiating desk.

“It’s time now for the president to get in this game, get off the sidelines and let’s start negotiating and figuring this out — not in June when we get into the midnight hour, but today,” he mentioned.

Most Senate Democrats are sticking by Mr. Biden in his refusal to barter spending cuts to raise the debt ceiling, however cracks have begun to emerge amongst extra average and swing-district Democrats who say the U.S. can’t threat defaulting.

It’s been months since House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, and Mr. Biden sat down to debate the approaching fiscal cliff, which is predicted to happen someday in June.

Sen. Bernard Sanders endorsed the concept of Mr. Biden coming to the negotiating desk however solely over federal spending cuts within the annual finances. He mentioned something apart from a clear debt restrict increase to avert a default on the nationwide debt needs to be off the desk.

“I think we can start negotiating tomorrow, but you cannot be holding the American people or the world’s economy hostage,” Mr. Sanders, a Vermont impartial who caucuses with Democrats, mentioned on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “What the Republicans have got to say is, ‘absolutely, we are going to make sure that we pay our debts.’ Let’s sit down and negotiate a budget.”

Rep. Ro Khanna, California Democrat, repeated the Democratic speaking level about Republicans and veterans’ advantages as he defended Mr. Biden.