Veterans' benefits not on the chopping block

By U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman
R-Arkansas

This week, President Biden and far-left Democrats have continued to desperately spread false claims that the Limit, Save, Grow Act will make devastating cuts to mandatory veterans’ benefits. This claim is a lie.

The fact of the matter is there are no cuts to the Veterans Affairs Department or veterans’ benefits in the Limit, Save, Grow Act. Nowhere in the legislative text does it cut veterans' benefits. Instead of focusing on the incredible things the bill will do for our country, the Biden Administration and the far-left are focused on their own political agendas, namely, stocking fear and resentment among our nation’s veterans. Even the Washington Post, a historically left-leaning media outlet, confirmed what we have been saying for weeks - there is nothing in the Limit., Save, Grow Act that specifically cuts veterans’ benefits.

House Republicans have made it very clear that veterans’ benefits, defense spending, Medicare and Social Security are not on the chopping block when it comes to debt ceiling negotiations. We’ve always prioritized veterans in our budgets to ensure that the men and women who have served our country have access to the care and benefits they deserve.

The Limit, Save, Grow Act ensures that discretionary funding is capped at the same level under which the federal government was operating just four months ago – the same funding levels President Biden praised for providing veterans with “world-class healthcare.” Further, the funding levels in the 10-year budget for Fiscal Year 2024 and Fiscal Year 2025 set in the Limit, Save, Grow Act are the same levels that President Obama and then Vice President Biden put in their budget in 2017. There were no cuts to veterans’ benefits then, and there are none now.

While President Biden and his team are taking to Twitter to spread misinformation about the Limit, Save, Grow Act, they forget about his poor history of supporting veterans himself. While Senator, the President voted three separate times against legislation that would have increased funding for veterans’ medical care, medical benefits, healthcare facilities, and extended-care facilities. House Republicans have made it clear that our sensible debt ceiling solution will not cut veterans’ benefits. On the other hand, Joe Biden said himself when he was in the Senate: “When I argued that we should freeze federal spending, I meant Social Security as well. I meant Medicare and Medicaid, I meant veterans’ benefits… and I not only tried it once, I tried it twice, I tried it a third time, and I tried it a fourth time.”

President Biden’s record speaks for itself, and it’s clear that he and his colleagues’ attempts to fearmonger and lie about veterans’ benefits are politically motivated. House Republicans passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act, a sensible solution to take action on the debt ceiling. This legislation, which has the support of Senate Republican leadership, will strengthen our economy, reduce wasteful spending, and put money back into the pockets of hardworking Americans.