“It is a lot cheaper to provide veteran care through the VA than it is to provide it by Medicare or Medicaid,” said Violante. “If we put the resources into the VA it would certainly be fiscally responsible.”

Congress now appropriates VA medical care funds on an annual basis. Political squabbling has delayed VA funding in 13 of the past 14 years — something that has severely hampered the department’s ability to plan and manage its healthcare system, according to DAV’s talking points.

Veterans’ groups say the change would ensure the agency can better handle the growing number of veterans dependent on it for medical care.

An added benefit would be that advance appropriations would not fall under pay-as-you-go budgetary rules, which do cover mandatory funding. This means the advance appropriations would not have to be offset by spending cuts or revenue raisers, requirements that make it harder to move legislation.

With this kind of back door politics; we veterans need a miracle:

Amnesty agenda 4:19
3 million illegal aliens may become legal as a result of the wartime funding bill. CNN's Kitty Pilgrim reports.
• Lou Dobbs: Issues, TV, Radio, and Books

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/05/16/ldt.pilgrim.amnesty.agenda.cnn

Not only are they abusing their power for all Americans, they will-not properly fund the VA for the future of a new generation of veterans. They used the back door to obtain amnesty for over 3 million illegal’s and their families, while ignoring a few hundred thousand new veterans (not to mention us old ones!)

Craig (R-ID) and Ms Feinstein (D-CA): both need their balls cut off. . .