Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Veterans Administration Deal and Funding History Proves That Republicans Were Mostly Responsible For Its Problems

Honoring our Veterans requires much more than putting them in a parade.  With deal the GOP tacitly admits it underfunded the VA at every chance for over a decade after it started invasive wars.

As we said earlier the VA was vastly underfunded, with the return to invasive war and the GOP was mostly sitting on funding increases when it got the chance.

And even they must agree, since they just approved $17 billion more dollars to fund the behemoth health system.  See Politico How the VA deal came together for confirmation and horse race politics snore.

We showed in an earlier blog post that despite sending our troops to two new invasive wars, the GOP which controlled the White House and the Congress in the early years of the first decade of the new millennium refused to adequately increase funding for the VA.

As we wrote a month ago:
Except for the years when the Democrats controlled the House and Senate, you'd think that massive injuries were not being produced in Iraq and Afghanistan that would require many years of intense care and innovative remedies for heavily injured soldiers.

Between 2003 and 2004 with the GOP in control of Congress VA funding only increased 4.7%

Massive invasion casualties?  When did those happen?

Between 2004 and 2005 with the GOP in control of Congress VA funding only increased  5.5%

IEDs?  What are those?

Between 2005 and 2006 with the GOP in control of Congress VA funding only increased 2.2%

I guess they were getting tired of paying for those injuries among "deadbeat" vets.

Between 2006 and 2007 with the Dems suddenly back in control of Congress thanks to Mark Foley VA funding increased 8.4%

Who loves our vets?

Between 2007 and 2008 with the Dems still in control of Congress VA funding increased 6.4%.

Still above anything the GOP gave them.

Between 2008 and 2009 with the Dems still in control of Congress VA funding increased 8.3%

Whoever thought that the GOP was the party who loved the our military most.  They just love using them and getting them killed.

Between 2009 and 2010 with the Dems still in control of Congress VA funding increased 12.1%

Need I say anything more?

Between 2011 and 2010 with GOP in control of the House in a division of Congress VA funding increased 8.2% a slowdown now.

Between 2012 and 2001 with GOP in control of the House in a division of Congress VA funding increased 0.8%  You saw that 0.8%.

Oh yeah, remember the great GOP austerity for tax cuts for Koch bros, our new national meme.

Suck on it injured vets say the GOP.
The fact that the GOP approved $17 billion shows they now understand but are hoping to look like good guys for finally acting, instead of the vicious crew that took our young people to war, but refused to adequately treat them when they were injured or disabled.

Picture at top used via Creative Commons' License Attribution (CC by 2.0) thanks to Flickr user DVIDSHUB who has no connection to this blog or blogger.