The House on Tuesday passed an emergency bill to address a roughly $3 billion budget shortfall facing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as officials warn millions of veterans’ benefits are at risk in the coming weeks.
The bill passed with bipartisan support on a voice vote, and now heads to the Senate, where members on both sides are hopeful for swift action this week.
“Thankfully, the House came together in a rare moment of bipartisanship to pass my bill that prevents this disaster and demands accountability with real oversight to make sure every dollar is spent right,” Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), a member of the House Appropriations Committee who led the legislative effort, said in a statement Tuesday.
“Our veterans deserve better than bureaucratic incompetence, and we’re one step closer to fixing this broken system.”
The measure calls for about $2.9 billion in additional funding for the VA, of which about $2.3 billion would go toward the Veterans Benefits Administration for compensation and pensions. Roughly $597 million would be put toward readjustment benefits.