Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Budget Cuts "The Troops"

The Carpetbagger Report » Blog Archive » This is what Bush means by ’supporting the troops’: "Maybe conservatives can remind us again about which side of the political divide really supports the troops.

The Bush administration plans to cut funding for veterans’ health care two years from now — even as badly wounded troops returning from Iraq could overwhelm the system.

Bush is using the cuts, critics say, to help fulfill his pledge to balance the budget by 2012.

After an increase sought for next year, the Bush budget would turn current trends on their head. Even though the cost of providing medical care to veterans has been growing rapidly — by more than 10 percent in many years — White House budget documents assume consecutive cutbacks in 2009 and 2010 and a freeze thereafter.

The VA’s medical care budget has gone up every year for two decades. Under Bush, it’s risen 83% in six years. And now that the war in Iraq is spiraling out of control, and U.S. casualties continue to climb, the White House believes that it’s time to start cutting the VA health care budget..."

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