In the first budget draft, House appropriators backed a funding boost for the Department of Veteran Affairs. The plan, which is voted on by a subcommittee, has signaled support for over $113 billion in discretionary spending for various VA programs in the fiscal 2022 year. That is an increase of 8% from current levels and is more than $150 million more than what President Biden had asked in the budget proposal last month.
The bill is expected to advance to the chamber neck week, with a possible vote in July. However, it will most likely take months before an agreement is made on VA and military construction spending.
The newest plan calls for substantial spending on medical care spending. Nearly $98 billion will be spent on veteran medical care. A portion of that will be specifically aimed for gender-specific care for female veterans, as well as prosthetic research.
In comparison, the VA budget was only $45 billion in the fiscal 2001 year. In 2011, there were over $125 billion. A decade later, it was nearly double that in 2021. Numerous federal agencies have seen reduced spending in the past several years, whereas the VA has seen growth.