President gives VA a $3.7 billion boost

[boardman]

President gives VA a $3.7 billion boost
 

CQ POLITICS
CQ TODAY MIDDAY UPDATE
Jan. 9, 2008 

Bush Will Release Billions in ‘Contingency’ Funds for Veterans

President Bush plans to approve $3.7 billion in “contingency” funding for veterans’ programs by the end of the week, ending speculation over whether the White House would block release of the funding.

The omnibus fiscal 2008 spending bill, a $555 billion measure that funds 14 of the 15 Cabinet-level departments and several independent agencies, included $3.7 billion in “contingency” emergency spending for the Veterans Affairs Department.

Veterans’ groups and Democrats had pushed for the funding, which Bush has until Jan. 18 to approve. According to administration sources, the Veterans Affairs Department signed off on release of the funding on Tuesday, and Bush likely will make the move official this week.

Most of the money will go to the Veterans’ Health Administration for medical services, administration, facilities and medical research.

The White House said months ago that it had no objection to the $3.7 billion Congress wanted to spend on top of the president’s budget request for veterans, but it wanted the funds offset with reductions in spending elsewhere.

Congress refused, keeping the funds outside the budget caps and passing the decision to the president on whether to spend the money.