7/24/2017

DEMS/HOUSE OF REPS/VETS: “House Democrats successfully led an effort Monday [7-24-17] night to strike down a controversial funding proposal for the Department of Veterans Affairs after major veterans advocacy groups lobbied to defeat the measure, the latest battle in the debate about privatization’s role in the department.
The measure to use stopgap funding for a program that provides veterans with private-sector health care was defeated on the House floor when it failed to get the two-thirds majority needed under special rules. The defeat left the future of the program in question as Congress prepares to go on recess.
Democrats and many veterans groups complained that the proposal would fund a privatization drive by drawing on money from elsewhere in the department. But Republicans and backers of the proposal said the proposal would help veterans and provide them more choice in where they get their health care…
The top Democrat on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Rep. Tim Walz (D., Minn.) said he withdrew support for the legislation after veterans groups voiced their concerns. A spokesman for Mr. Walz said the congressman found the bill to be lopsided, funding private care but neglecting other parts of the VA.”

-Ben Kesling and Peter Nicholas, “House Democrats Help Defeat VA Funding Measure,” The Wall Street Journal online, July 24, 2017 10:08pm