“Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said Friday that his department won’t be exempted from President Donald Trump’s planned spending cuts, but he is also confident that Congress will ultimately increase the VA budget to ensure programming needs are met…”
“The president did say that the Defense Department wouldn’t see the same requirement, but would aim for a slimmer $700 billion spending plan instead of another increase. Many veterans groups also wondered if VA would be similarly exempted, given Trump’s past promises to fix and fully fund veterans programs.”
“But Wilkie said he is already in the process of looking for ways to meet the request, which would amount to about $10 billion in reduced spending. The fiscal 2019 VA budget topped $200 billion for the first time in department history, and has seen steady increases since fiscal 2002…” Read the full article here.
Source: VA secretary expects fiscal 2020 budget to be the biggest ever – By Leo Shane, November 9, 2018. MilitaryTimes.
