Buyer Blindsides
Organizations
BVA and other VSOs were told on November 9 that their traditional annual testimony before a joint session of the House and Senate Committees on Veterans Affairs is now a thing of the past. Representative Steve Buyer (R-IN-4) made the announcement without notice, indicating that VSOs would have other means of involvement in the legislative process.
The announcement was a shock to BVA as the decision was made without consulting the leaders of many of the various organizations. It also surprised members of the minority party of the House Committee itself.
One of two local Capitol Hill newspapers, The Hill, ran an article on November 16 by staff writer Elana Schor that highlighted the depth of disappointment, outrage, and acrimony caused by the decision. The fact that the determination was made as VA experiences budgetary problems and shortfalls is not coincidental.
VSOs suspect that the real reason for the announced change is to prevent organizations from accessing a formal outlet to criticize proposed budgets. It was, after all, the persistent reports to members of Congress last spring and early summer that forced VA to come forward and admit that the Veterans Health Administration was short by $1 billion. |
