Senate Defeats Amendment To Provide $1.98 Billion for VA Hospitals
The Senate on Tuesday voted 54-46 to defeat an amendment to a military appropriations bill that would have provided an additional $1.98 billion for Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, the AP/Los Angeles Times reports. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) introduced the amendment as part of an $80.6 billion emergency appropriations bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other military operations.
According to Murray, VA hospitals are overcrowded and require additional funds. "There's a train wreck coming," she said. Senate Republicans, who opposed the amendment, denied that VA hospitals had such serious problems and said that the facilities had adequate funds to address emergencies (AP/Los Angeles Times, 4/13).