(The Center Square) – Congressional war declarations should include funding for future veteran benefits, according to legislation introduced Thursday.
The Full Cost of War Act, sponsored by Democratic U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania and Ted Lieu of California, would require more funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs as part of any authorization for the use of military force.
In doing so, the government would fund the cost of health care, disability, and other earned benefits for the service members it is sending to war and prevent them from being “treated as an afterthought.”
“The way I see it, this country has a sacred obligation to care for my fellow veterans after they risk it all and serve this country,” Deluzio said. “If our government cannot promise to pay for these veterans’ care, we should not send them off to war.”
Lieu added that authorizing military force is the “most consequential” decision Congress makes.
“We owe it to our brave men and women in uniform to ensure they are taken care of – during and after service,” he said.
The proposal comes as the pressure mounts to approve a deal that patches a $2.9 billion hole in the department’s budget. Without action, disability payments could be delayed in October, according to a report from The Military Times.
Roughly 16.2 million veterans live in the United States, according to federal data, of which nearly 30% receive disability benefits. The department’s budget has more than tripled over the last 20 years as an aging population and rising health care costs strain resources.