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GOP Budget Cuts May Hit Homeless Veterans Hard
WASHINGTON (CNNMoney.com) — Among the more controversial GOP budget cut proposals is an effort to kill $75 million that’s slated to house homeless veterans.
It’s the cut that Democrats like to point to when they accuse of Republicans of going too far. And Democrats have even started to make it a campaign issue.
Republicans are quick to point out that the cuts won’t impact veterans who were homeless but now receive housing vouchers. Vouchers give homeless veterans a place to live for a year and can be renewed annually, assuming federal funding is available.
The cuts would hurt some 11,000 homeless veterans who have already qualified for housing this year but have yet to receive vouchers.
“It’s really unnecessarily prolonging homelessness for another year,” said John Driscoll, president of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans in Washington.
The cut is among hundreds tucked into the spending bill that House Republicans passed last week that slashed $61 billion in the remaining six months of the 2011 fiscal year.
Republicans say they’re targeting the housing subsidy program because it’s too slow. While 30,000 vouchers have been issued to veterans, they point to the 11,000 yet to be issued. Republicans say they’re just zeroing out unused vouchers.
“Until all of the vouchers are used, there is no point in providing additional vouchers that will sit unused,” said Jennifer Hing, spokeswoman for the House Appropriations Committee.
But it generally takes 8 months, start to finish, to get a veteran into housing, according to Driscoll. He said that lawmakers who want to cut program funding misunderstand the process.
Driscoll said that homeless veterans often suffer from mental health and substance abuse problems. Studies have shown they remain chronically homeless, unless the federal government steps up to put a roof over their heads.
That’s why housing homeless veterans is a top priority for President Obama, who has called for more vouchers with a goal of ending veteran homelessness in 5 years. The voucher program was among the few that the White House highlighted for more funding in 2012.
The administration estimates that on a single night in January 2009, 75,600 veterans were homeless. At the current funding levels, federal officials are nearly halfway to ending veteran homelessness.
Congressional Democrats say they’ll fight for the program to house homeless veterans. During the budget cut debate, Rep. Bob Filner of California tried to blunt the cut but was unsuccessful.
Democrats are also using the issue as fodder for the 2012 elections. Last week, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched a new series of automated calls to voters in the home districts of 7 Republicans who supported the bill. In the so-called “robo-calls,” a voice compares housing subsidies for homeless veterans to tax breaks for the oil and gas sector, which the GOP tends to support.
“The DCCC will continue going district by district to hold House Republicans accountable for forcing homeless veterans to sleep in the streets,” said Jesse Ferguson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=84092
Posted by Veterans Today on Mar 1 2011, With 0 Reads, Filed under Government, Legislation, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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Sure, Why Not Kill More Veterans!!!! The GOP is good at Killing…. They’re good at getting us into wars, and Killing off out young, not to forget Killing Civilians too…
It’s easier to Kill Homeless Veterans, than it is to cut funding our enemy’s, and thier buddies big Bonuses on Wall Street… Hell why not just cut all fundings at home, and just keep supporting their criminal wars, and the rest of the world….
Anything that the GOP does that doesn’t support our Troops, and Veterans,is just another form of Terrorism, and Anti-American… It’s more important for the WEEPER to fly to Florida for a Golf Game when he is getting paid to be working in Washington, he owes us a days pay…. Than it is for him and his buddies to do the job they got elected to do… He’s laughing at us, and smileing all the way to the bank… What FOOLS we have become…
Instead of calling them the GOP, we need to call them SOB’S.. If they keep screwing with us like this , it’s only time before the American People wake up, and there will be HELL to pay for all that CRAP going on in Washington… The more that are effected by their crap, and loose everything they have , the faster it will come to a head…
Those clowns need to get a grip and stop spending all that money fighting those useless wars and bring our people home, but there are NO jobs for them when they come home… And PAY back Social Security all the money that was borrowed by all the past Presidents to balance their budgets, going back to REGAN, with interest…
Haven’t heard anything from the assholes on FOX about that one yet….
$75 million is just 7 days in the sand box, end the wars and we’d have plenty of money to take care of this Nations Homeless Veterans…
God Bless America and her Veterans
As a 1964 U.S. Army length of service miitary retiree who served this deceitful, thankless and unforgiving nation during and over three major engagements, in combat, and dozen minor conflagrations on the low draft-era pay and non-existent allonwances only to be BETRAYED along with 432,000 cohorts on future retired pay I ssy let the succcsssor ingrates personally pay for some of this foolishness. Oh, yes!
Today, at age 88, I pay all of my health care and for my wife of over 62 years.
What a nation we served?????????
I am also a VN combat vet 67-68 who was involved in some serious fighting during tet 68 and also a tunnel rat 11th Bgd, Americal Div. I’m not going to criticize the GOP for trying to get this unbelievable spending under control but they must watch where they cut. As far as Fox news goes it’s by far the only true news channel out there. When they do make mistakes they aren’t afraid to admit it.
God Bless our Republic and all her veterans ,so many have given all and I don’t know why I’m not one.
When has Fox news admitted to making a mistake?because they are a big mistake all together.If this is the only place you get your news I can see why you speak up for them.Because they lie on a daily basis.I don’t take any news channel at their word do a little research you will be amazed at what you can find out.
Here is a copy of a letter I sent to Senator Patty Murray, Chairperson of the Senate Committee of Veterans Affairs:
Saturday, April 02, 2011
The Honorable Patty Murray
United States Senate
448 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-4701
Senator Murray,
First, allow me to congratulate you on your appointment as Chairperson of the Senate Committee of Veterans Affairs. In addition, I along with the thousands of homeless Vets in the country, thank you for your hard efforts for drafting, and pushing the Homeless Vets bill to the House. For you are a true humanitarian.
However, Senator, at this time, as many others over the last forty years, Veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States are once again being used as pawns on Capitol Hill. In the efforts to reduce the budget, Congress has decided to cut 75 Million Dollars from the Homeless Veterans Voucher Program. Or, shall I say, eliminate?
When we were young so many years ago, all a Veteran needed was a bedroll, a pile of leaves, a tree, and we could call that home if needed. And, we would survive, for that’s our conditioning as Vets. We are not young anymore, Senator. We are the disabled, either from our Military Service, or related injuries and diseases stemming from age.
We are just like any other citizen who has spent their lives chasing the American dream. We have raised families, paid our taxes, volunteer for the aid and comfort of others in our communities, less fortunate than ourselves. And, we, like so many others in the nation have fallen victim to the economy. Now, we are the homeless. We are the ones that a good portion of society deems unfit. We are the ones that when walking down any street in America, are looked upon as outcasts.
We are Americans like any other man or woman in this country. However, Senator Murray, there is one difference that separates all Veterans from non-Veterans. That would be our oath of allegiance.
Many years ago, and like the millions of men and women before, and after us, we raised our right hands in crowded rooms throughout the country. This is what I repeated in one of those rooms:
“I, Richard Michael Ponce, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
It is an oath that all Veterans today, still obligate themselves to by choice. After the attacks on 9/11, thousands of us tried to, and some were able to reenlist in defense of our nation.
And, now it seems that our government has deemed us expendable once again. Yesterday, the Veterans Transitional Housing Program that I and many others are a part of, were informed that VASH vouchers are no longer available for us. I personally have spent the last 18 months living in the Skid Row section of Los Angeles, California awaiting my voucher.
I have finished the process and I’m supposed to receive my voucher in 2 or 3 weeks. Now, I’m told that may not happen. I am totally disabled, and currently living on a non-service-connected pension.
Without the HUD voucher, I will not be able to survive. Neither will the Vets who are in my program. The majority of us are over 50 years of age, some are over 60. I’m 58. I guess we’ll have to look for that pile of leaves and that special tree to lay our heads. I spent the last 38 years gainfully employed. I was laid-off 2 years ago. For that, I apologize to the United States.
I also apologize for being a disabled American Vet, as I would never want to place a burden on anyone. Help us, Senator. Please, once again, be our voice to Congress.
Respectfully,
Richard Ponce
United States Navy Veteran
Los Angeles, California.