House Republicans Unveil Bill to Address VA Budget Shortfall

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington, on July 6, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

House Republicans unveiled a bill on Sept. 6 to give the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) nearly $2.9 billion in supplemental funding amid a budget shortfall in the department.

The funding would go toward veterans’ compensation, pensions, and benefits.

According to House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.), there was a $2.88 billion shortfall in the 2024 fiscal year and an $11.97 billion shortfall for the Veterans Health Administration, which deals with benefits for veterans.

The bill would require the VA secretary to submit a report to the Appropriations and Veterans Affairs committees in the House and Senate, explaining what the department will do to make better projections when it comes to proposing budgets to Congress.

This report would have to be sent to the committees no later than 30 days after enactment of the bill.

Additionally, the secretary would have to submit the status of the funds allocated under the bill for the 2024, 2025, and 2026 fiscal years within 60 days after the bill becomes law.

After the initial report to the committees, the secretary would be required to submit a report every 90 days until Sept. 30, 2026, consisting of “information detailing any changes to estimates or assumptions on obligations and expenditures, including data supporting these changes.”

Inspector General reports to the committees related to the VA funding shortfalls in the 2024 and 2025 fiscal year would include “a comparison of monthly obligations and expenditures in relevant accounts against the spend plan of the department; the reasons for any significant diversions of obligations or expenditures from the spend plan; an analysis of the accuracy of projections and estimates relevant to such diversions; and any other matter determined relevant by the Inspector General.”

According to the bill, the 2025 report would include differences in funding for VA offices and facilities.

In a July 17 letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough, Bost called the budget shortfall “the largest” in the department’s history.

“The budget shortfall seems to be a troubling mix of anticipated costs that were not budgeted for and other costs that lack sufficient explanation or are speculative,” he wrote.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the VA for comment on the bill.