“Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie is set to make his annual appearance before the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday morning, a routine budget hearing that will be anything but given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic still restricting Capitol Hill operations.”
“The event, set for 10 a.m. in the Longworth House Office Building, marks the first in-person appearance by a Cabinet-level official at a House hearing since much of the Capitol campus was locked down in mid-March in an effort to stem the spread of the virus.”
“Typically, Wilkie’s testimony would be just one of several dozen by department heads throughout the spring to justify their budget requests for the upcoming 2021 budget, each packed with staffers, reporters and outside advocates.”
“But those regular budget hearing plans were scrapped in recent weeks, replaced with online forums and less public testimony exchanges. Wilkie’s hearing is one of the first steps back towards that normal congressional operations for House leaders, who also recently approved plans to allow remote voting for the first time…”
“While Wilkie is expected to field questions about the department’s response and the nearly $20 billion in emergency funding given to VA for that work, the hearing is designed to cover the fiscal 2021 budget request for the department.”
“VA programs and operations would see a nearly 13 percent boost in discretionary spending next fiscal year under plans outlined by the White House in February. The total funding plan would give more than $240 billion to VA.”
“That is nearly double the total VA funding level from 10 years ago and more than five times the total in fiscal 2001, when the entire budget was about $45 billion.” Read the full article here.
Source: Veterans Affairs budget hearing represents first steps toward normal operations for Congress – By Leo Shane III, May 27, 2020. Military Times.
