Veterans' advocates angered by Bachmann's proposal to cut budget

WASHINGTON — Rep. Michele Bachmann has drawn the ire of some of the nation’s veterans and an admonition from a Democratic senator over her suggestion to cut $4.5 billion in veterans’ benefits from the federal budget.

Bachmann, R-Stillwater, included the suggestion to freeze the Department of Veterans Affairs health care spending and pare benefits in a list of possible cuts totaling more than $400 million. Bachmann attached the list to a Jan. 24 blog post on her congressional website.

“I’m calling for Congress to do the hard work of making real and necessary cuts in federal spending,” Bachmann said in the blog. “I have put the following list on the table for discussion, and I’m calling on other members of Congress to do the same.”

The list has generated much discussion among veterans’ groups.

“No way, no how, will we let this proposal get any traction in Congress,” said Richard Eubank, national commander of the 2.1 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars.

“It is absurd to suggest such a thing when we are fighting two wars and creating more veterans every day who have served their country honorably and have already earned their benefits,” said Jimmie Foster, national commander of the American Legion.

“Congresswoman Bachmann’s plan is shortsighted, dangerous and an insult to the men and women who have served and sacrificed for our freedoms — including the freedom of speech that we all enjoy,” said Bill Larson, president of Paralyzed Veterans of America.

Bachmann spokesman Doug Sachtleben said the congresswoman’s suggestions were merely a starting point for discussion over how to tackle the nation’s deficit. Many Republicans pledged during their midterm election campaigns to start the deficit-reduction process by cutting $100 billion in federal spending.

House Republicans made a down payment on that pledge Thursday when House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., released a plan to roll back domestic spending to 2008 levels. That would amount to an average 19 percent decrease for federal agencies and a savings of about $86 billion.