Pentagon says veterans' benefits 'hurtful' to national security

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M

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 18:41:12 -0600

[GranniesAgainstGeorge] Pentagon says veterans' benefits

'hurtful' to national security

 

 

 

Another " can you believe this BS " moment:

Pentagon says veterans' benefits `hurtful' to national security

 

Funding for programs like veterans' education and job training, health

care, pensions, VA housing and the like are " hurtful " to national

security, Pentagon official David Chu said. Chu was defending a new

round of cuts during a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal.

 

As private sector health care costs skyrocket, veterans are turning

more and more to the military's health insurance program, Tricare.

Retired service members account for half of the people covered by

Tricare, whereas just five years ago they accounted for only 40

percent. The Bush administration wants to find ways to stem this tide

— none of which have anything to do with keeping private sector

insurance affordable.

 

The slow rate of VA spending growth enforced by Bush and the

congressional Republicans over the last four years won't cover growing

deferred benefits, such as education, housing, retirement, health care

and so on, promised to current service members or that are supposed to

be available for new enlistees.

 

In the last two years, Bush ordered the closing of several Veterans

Administration hospitals in different parts of the country, pushing

waiting lists for medical services for veterans as high as six months

for about 230,000 vets. These closings followed in the wake of the

congressional Republicans' drive in 2003 to cut $15 billion from VA

spending over the next 10 years.

 

President Bush plans to slash veterans' health care benefits by over

$900 million and veterans' housing programs by $50 million in 2005

alone, according to an Associated Press story about a leaked White

House Budget Office memo.

 

A Center for American Progress analysis said, " President Bush's 2005

budget would increase prescription drug co-pays from $7 to $15 for

many veterans. In 2002, the co-pay went from $2 to $7. " This co-pay

increase would have the biggest impact on " near-poor " veterans whose

incomes are just high enough to require that they pay the new premium.

 

The Pentagon plans to reduce deferred benefit packages and increase

one-time cash awards for new enlistees in the hopes of reducing, even

eliminating, long-term benefit programs.

 

In fact, the Republicans are so desperate to cut veterans' benefits

they have started attacking fellow Republicans who want to preserve

current benefit levels. The Wall Street Journal reports that " the

House Republican leadership took the unusual step of stripping New

Jersey Rep. Christopher Smith of his chairmanship of the Veterans

Affairs Committee " for pushing " so aggressively for veterans' benefits

that he at times threatened to oppose their spending plans and

President Bush's unless more retiree benefits were included. "

 

The Wall Street Journal attributes the fact that the Republicans

haven't been able to cut more from the VA budget to the work of large

veterans' lobby groups such as the Military Officers Association of

America, the American Legion and Vietnam Veterans of America who have

consistently blocked cuts and have pushed for expanded programs and

spending.

 

The Bush administration and congressional Republicans lament the fact

that increasing entitlements promised to veterans have forced them to

limit the growth of spending for questionable missile systems and

other weapons programs. New funding for their illegal war on Iraq,

they claim, is also in jeopardy as long as so much new military

spending is set aside for veterans' programs for the 28 million people

who sacrificed their time and lives in the U.S. military.

 

The Republicans' effort to cut veterans' benefits is just another sign

of the attitude of the " compassionate conservatives " toward the vast

majority of people in this country. They feel that the very rich are

entitled to hundreds of billions in tax cuts, but do not feel the

least twinge of guilt in forcing veterans to forego the benefits and

services promised in return for their sacrifices.

 

This week Bush announced his request to Congress for another $80

billion, bringing the total spent on his war to at least $280 billion.

 

Opponents of Bush's war know that it has undermined national security,

making Americans the target of terrorism more than ever before. But

Bush wants you to believe that the real threats to national security

are retired veterans who need food, shelter, and medical care.

http://pww.org/article/view/6506/1//

Joel Wendland ( jwendland ) is managing editor of

Political Affairs.

 

 

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