MADISON, Wis. — Following his vote to subject the VA to devastating budget cuts, Derrick Van Orden is desperately attempting to cover his tracks. Unfortunately, there can be no escaping from Van Orden’s support for Kevin McCarthy’s extreme and irresponsible attempt to balance the budget on the backs of our kids, working people, and America’s veterans.
Imposing the across-the-board budget cuts called for in the so-called “Limit, Save, Grow Act” would inevitably result in catastrophic cuts to VA services. The VA has estimated the bill would result in a 22 percent cut to critical agency programs, including:
- 30 million fewer veteran outpatient visits, and 81,000 jobs lost across the Veterans Health Administration.
- Elimination of more than 6,000 staff from the Veterans Benefits Administration, increasing the disability claims backlog by an estimated 134,000 claims, forcing veterans and their families to wait longer for pensions, life insurance, GI Bill benefits and employment services.
“Derrick Van Orden and the House GOP could have written a bill that preserved America’s commitment to our veterans—but they didn’t,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Joe Oslund. “Instead, Kevin McCarthy and MAGA allies like Derrick Van Orden pushed extreme, indiscriminate cuts to critical government programs like the Veterans Health Administration, all while pushing our country closer to an unprecedented national default. Wisconsin deserves better than Derrick Van Orden’s extreme partisan politics.”
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