Military update: Obama budget draws cheers, jeers from vets

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Military update: Obama budget draws cheers, jeers from vets
By Tom Philpott, Special to Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, March 14, 2009

President Obama is drawing high praise from veterans’ service organizations for proposing a Department of Veterans Affairs budget that would exceed by $1.3 billion what even VSOs suggested be spent next year.

No president ever offered a VA spending plan that surpassed in size the "Unified Budget" presented to Congress by major veterans groups. Obama seeks to fulfill several high-profile promises made to veterans during his presidential campaign including a big increase in VA health care budgets.

But it was a new and unpopular proposal being studied by the administration that created uncomfortable moments for VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki when he made separate appearances Tuesday before the House and Senate veterans’ affairs committees.

Obama’s VA budget outline, with full details promised by late April, would raise VA spending to $112.8 billion in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. That’s an increase of $15 billion, or 15 percent, over the current budget.

"This is the largest dollar and percentage increase ever requested by a president for veterans," Shinseki told lawmakers.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=61312