Washington, D.C. — Ahead of President Biden’s meeting with congressional Republicans on default negotiations, Protect Our Care is releasing a new national report exposing the dire consequences of Republicans’ proposed cuts to veterans’ health care. The GOP’s ‘Default on America’ Act slashes veterans’ health care funding by 22 percent, threatening to rip health care away from millions of veterans. Under the GOP bill, veterans would face:
- 30 million fewer outpatient visits
- 81,000 jobs lost across the Veterans Health Administration
- A backlog of 134,000 claims
- $565 million in cuts earmarked for major construction projects, including critical upgrades to clinics and hospitals
The Republican bill also seeks unprecedented cuts to Medicaid and other vital services, including for mental health and substance use, maternal care, cancer research and more.
“Not only does the House Republican default bill threaten to rip away health care from 21 million people who rely on Medicaid, but it also cuts veterans’ health care by 22 percent,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “The cuts to veterans’ care would be disastrous and an insult to those who risked their lives to keep us safe, threatening millions of patients’ access to care. As always, the GOP has one goal in mind: rip away benefits and deny people access to health care in order to support the wealthiest Americans.”
Protect Our Care also released fact sheets in the following states:
Arizona
Nevada
Virginia
Michigan
New York
California
Pennsylvania
Wisconsin
Georgia