Veterans Affairs secretary defends department’s budget request [Video]

The proposed budget includes $24.5 billion for the Toxic Exposures Fund to cover costs associated with implementing the 2022 PACT Act.

However, House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost said Thursday he’s not happy with how the VA is spending the taxpayer dollars that Congress provides.

“The overall requested increase is large, but a lot of the money seems to be in the wrong places,” he said.

“There is a real problem here. Somehow, despite the nearly $17 billion increase this year and the $33 billion request for next year, the second largest federal agency can barely keep the lights on,” Bost added.

VA Secretary Denis McDonough defended his department’s performance, noting that last year, the VA enrolled more than 400,000 new vets into the VA health …