- Feb 22, 2017
- 104,329
- 35,093
- 2,290
Interesting.
federalnewsnetwork.com
The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning to spend the last of its COVID-19 emergency funding to support its day-to-day operations through the end of the fiscal year.
Members of the House VA Committee, however, are calling on the VA to return the money, now that the Biden administration has declared an end to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Congressional Republicans and the Biden administration have also proposed clawing back unspent COVID funds across the federal government as part of ongoing negotiations to raise the debt ceiling.
The VA received $36.7 billion in total COVID-19 emergency appropriations.
VA Chief Financial Officer Jon Rychalski told lawmakers on Tuesday that the VA currently has $2.1 billion in remaining funds from the American Rescue Plan, and that it expects to fully spend those funds by the end of fiscal 2023.
Rychalski added that about $500 million of those ARP funds remain unobligated.
While committee Republicans are calling on the VA to turn over its unspent ARP funding, Rychalski said the ARP funds were “never set-aside for COVID,” and the spending package was designated as general-purpose funds for the agency’s fiscal 2023 budget.
“We communicated to Congress, they appropriated the funds, knowing that we had that money, that we were going to use that money for veterans this year. There’s no difference between the two. It’s not set aside for COVID,” Rychalski said.
I wonder if the GOP has it in them to cut the budget for the VA next year to punish them for this.
VA plans to spend last $2B in COVID-19 funds House Republicans want to claw back
The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning to spend the last of its COVID-19 emergency funding to support its day-to-day operations through the end of the fiscal year.
federalnewsnetwork.com
The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning to spend the last of its COVID-19 emergency funding to support its day-to-day operations through the end of the fiscal year.
Members of the House VA Committee, however, are calling on the VA to return the money, now that the Biden administration has declared an end to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Congressional Republicans and the Biden administration have also proposed clawing back unspent COVID funds across the federal government as part of ongoing negotiations to raise the debt ceiling.
The VA received $36.7 billion in total COVID-19 emergency appropriations.
VA Chief Financial Officer Jon Rychalski told lawmakers on Tuesday that the VA currently has $2.1 billion in remaining funds from the American Rescue Plan, and that it expects to fully spend those funds by the end of fiscal 2023.
Rychalski added that about $500 million of those ARP funds remain unobligated.
While committee Republicans are calling on the VA to turn over its unspent ARP funding, Rychalski said the ARP funds were “never set-aside for COVID,” and the spending package was designated as general-purpose funds for the agency’s fiscal 2023 budget.
“We communicated to Congress, they appropriated the funds, knowing that we had that money, that we were going to use that money for veterans this year. There’s no difference between the two. It’s not set aside for COVID,” Rychalski said.
I wonder if the GOP has it in them to cut the budget for the VA next year to punish them for this.
