Now Democrats are trying to screw Veterans?

Democratic lawmaker lambastes omnibus bill as ‘harmful’ attempt to privatize veterans health care

An omnibus bill, H.R. 8371, to increase community services for disabled and aging veterans and their caretakers was attacked by the top Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee as a thinly veiled attempt to privatize health services and drain dollars from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“House Republicans have hijacked a historically bipartisan, bicameral process for veterans’ packages, to push their main priority of privatizing VA health care,” Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., said about the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act.

Sponsored by Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, the bill has 21 Republican co-sponsors. No Democrats have signed onto the bill.

But Takano said the scope of the new legislation needs to be scaled back or it will lead to further erosion of support for traditional VA programs.

The bill has received support from veterans organizations, including the Disabled American Veterans and Veterans of Foreign Wars.

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The bill