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A Daily Chronicle of Bush Administration Distortion

October 21, 2003

President's Spending for Ex-Soldiers Falls Short of Promise to Give Them "Priority" Treatment

Two years ago, President Bush said, "Veterans are a priority for this administration... and that priority is reflected in my budget."¹ But, a year ago, when he had a chance to approve an emergency funding bill that included $275 million for medical care of veterans, he said, "We'll spend none of it."²

Now the President's 2004 budget request for the Veterans Administration will effectively cut spending for its already-stretched health care system. Because of increased medical costs at an above-inflation rate of 4.7% and increased enrollment of 8%, the American Legion calculates that Bush's 2004 request "comes $1.9 billion short of maintaining an inadequate status quo."³

A task force commissioned by Bush himself has reported that federal funding to handle the ailments of former soldiers continues to be considerably less than their needs. In the past ten years the spending per patient dropped from almost $15,000 to less than $5,000.⁴

More than 235,000 veterans are currently waiting six months or more for an initial appointment.⁵

Sources:

Remarks by the President to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, August 20, 2001.
"Bush and the Economy: The Economic Forum; Economic Outlook is Positive, Bush Tells Texas Forum," New York Times, 8/14/02, p. A19.
A System Worth Saving, American Legion Magazine, May 2003 (from Committee on Government Reform, Minority Staff Report, May 2003)
"A Brief Guide to the Final Report," The President's Task Force to Improve Health Care for Our Nation's Veterans, p. 9.
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.

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