The Mission Act does not appropriate funding for the bill, and senators from both parties have proposed $50 billion in new spending. President Trump’s administration has lobbied Republicans to get the funding by cutting other spending.
“Without subjecting the program to any budgetary constraint, there is no incentive to continue to serve veterans with innovative, streamlined and efficient quality of care,” according a Trump administration memo obtained by The Washington Post.
Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, warned that unless the administration approves a new spending bill, lawmakers will be forced to cut $10 billion a year for five years from the existing program.
Reforming the VA was a major part of President Trump’s election campaign, but he faced conservative backlash after Congress passed a $1.3 trillion spending bill in March.
More articles on leadership and management:
La Rabida Children’s CEO Brenda Wolf: Affecting policy is ‘imperative’ to transform, survive as a safety-net provider
Methodist Le Bonheur COO Michael Ugwueke’s 3 tips to align physicians, hospital executives around the same goal
Luanda Medical Center CEO Dr. Michael Averbukh on healthcare in emerging markets, choosing wisely and making patients loyal clients
At Becker's 4th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2–5 in Chicago, more than 1,500 hospital and health system executives tackle decisions that determine whether organizations thrive or merely survive: protecting margins under cost pressure, choosing where to grow, renegotiating payer relationships, stabilizing the workforce and proving real ROI on technology. This is where leaders work through them together, face-to-face. Apply for complimentary registration now.