News release
Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, introduced the Veterans Benefits Continuity and Accountability Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024, a bill to fully fund the Veterans Administration’s request for supplemental funding and address a funding shortfall at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“The Biden-Harris administration’s reckless mismanagement of the VA’s budget has led to a crisis that puts veterans’ benefits at risk,” Garcia said in a news release. “This isn’t just about a funding shortfall — it’s about holding the administration accountable for its failures. We cannot simply throw more money at a broken system and enable further waste and mismanagement. My bill is focused on both ensuring our veterans receive the care they’ve earned and demanding accountability from those in charge. We need to fix what’s broken, not just fund it, and make sure our heroes are never left behind by the failures of this administration.”
The VA recently reported a $2.883 billion shortfall for FY 2024. Without congressional action before Sept. 20, this shortfall would result in the Veterans Benefits Administration being unable to process benefits payments scheduled for Oct. 1, the release said.
Garcia’s legislation is co-sponsored by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Illinois, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee Chairman John Carter, R-Texas, Defense Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert, R-California, and Legislative Branch Subcommittee Chairman David Valadao, R-California.
The bill includes strong oversight measures to uncover how this massive shortfall occurred and to prevent it from happening again, the release said. It mandates the VA to fully disclose its finances to Congress to identify the root causes and outline the changes made for future budget requests. The bill also calls for the VA’s Inspector General to conduct an independent investigation into this failure, ensuring accountability and transparency moving forward.
