SHOT/CHASER: MAGA Republicans Voted to Gut Veterans Funding While Pushing to Give Tax Cuts to Wealthy 

After voting for an extreme economic proposal last week that would make deep cuts to programs American families rely on, MAGA Republicans are hard at work trying to whitewash their record: 

SHOT: MAGA Republicans, including Elise Stefanik, are trying to paper over their vote to make deep spending cuts, including to the Veterans Administration and other programs.
 

CHASER: 217 House Republicans voted for a bill that could cut 81,000 jobs from the VA, reduce outpatient visits by 30 million, and increase the disability claims backlog by an estimated 134,000 — ignoring 24 veterans organizations that implored congressional Republicans not to put these programs on the chopping block.

HuffPost: “House Republicans’ Budget Bill Doesn’t Spare Veterans. Democrats Are Making Them Regret It.”

Washington Post: “The uncertainty prompted a coalition of about two dozen veterans groups, including the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, to write a letter to Congress last week voicing alarm. ‘If enacted, the proposed legislation would dramatically reduce total federal discretionary spending and could endanger funding for [the Department of Veterans Affairs] and veterans’ programs,’ the letter said. ‘Without specific language to explicitly protect VA from the impact of the proposed budget reductions, it would leave many veteran resources open to cuts, potentially undoing years of progress VA has made for those that have earned it. … Our nation’s veterans, caregivers, and survivors have already sacrificed too much. Our country must keep our promises and provide them with the best healthcare and benefits possible.’”

USA Today: “24 veterans’ groups signed a letter to Congress expressing ‘grave concerns’ about potential veterans’ benefit cuts before the House voted 217-215 last Wednesday to approve the debt ceiling bill.”