NW Riverside News

Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-41) joined Rep. Mike Garcia (CA-27), House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK), House Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost (R-IL), Rep. David Valadao (CA-22), and Rep. Judge Carter (TX-31) in introducing the Veterans Benefits Continuity and Accountability Supplemental Appropriations Act to ensure veteran benefits remain uninterrupted and hold the Administration accountable for its budgeting errors.

“This VA supplemental bill is necessary to ensure our veterans receive the benefits they have earned,” said Rep. Calvert. “If Congress fails to act, veterans benefit funding could lapse and cause hardship to those who defended our nation. I am proud to work together with Rep. Garcia, Chairman Cole, and Chairman Bost to protect our veterans and the benefits they rely on.”

“The Biden-Harris Administration's reckless mismanagement of the VA's budget has led to a crisis that puts veterans' benefits at risk,” said Rep. Garcia. “This isn't just about a funding shortfall—it's about holding the Administration accountable for its failures. We cannot simply throw more money at a broken system and enable further waste and mismanagement. My bill is focused on both ensuring our veterans receive the care they've earned and demanding accountability from those in charge. We need to fix what's broken, not just fund it, and make sure our heroes are never left behind by the failures of this Administration.”

“Our veterans defended our nation and values,” said Chairman Cole. “They earned care and benefits through their service, and Congress won’t tolerate department mismanagement that threatens resources they rely on. This shortfall is a glaring failure by the Biden-Harris Administration and its VA, marking one of the largest financial discrepancies in recent history. It also reflects a grave departure from their budget submission provided mere months ago. Our heroes deserve more than this incompetence. Through this bill, we ensure that promised benefits remain secure and enact needed oversight to guarantee full accountability and transparency.”

The Department of Veteran Affairs’ failure to properly budget for enrollment growth and staffing costs resulted in an unprecedented funding shortfall in veteran benefits for Fiscal Year 2024 into Fiscal Year 2025.

The House Appropriations Committee was notified of the potential shortfall in July - four months after the Biden-Harris Administration submitted its Budget Request following markup of FY25 legislation in both chambers of Congress. The VA’s updated projections indicated a need of approximately $15 billion above what was originally requested, including an additional $3 billion for FY24 Compensation and Pensions Readjustment Benefits (mandatory funding) an additional $12 billion for FY25 VA medical care (discretionary funding).

The Veterans Benefits Continuity Accountability Supplemental Appropriations Act addresses the $3 billion shortfall in mandatory funding, which Congressional Budget Office estimates would have no net budget effects.The bill also includes language that holds Administration accountable requiring report submitted Congress no later than 30 days after enactment as why these budgetary errors took place ways VA addressing failure accurately project needs recurring reports status funds accounts moving forward.