The Politics of Veterans
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 10:26 am
WaPo
Spring weather was lovely in the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday as President Trump was surrounded by supporters at a signing ceremony for the Mission Act, a measure designed to improve health care for veterans.
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Not long after the veterans and politicians who had worked to secure a bipartisan agreement left the White House, Trump said he didn’t like portions of the law he had been very happy to sign. To complicate matters, the administration separately sent Congress a memo outlining objections to proposed funding measures for the new program. Those objections could lead the Department of Veterans Affairs to “cannibalize itself,” a ranking Democrat predicted.
The Mission Act consolidates seven programs allowing vets to obtain private or “community” health care coordinated by VA, creates an integrated network for the department and community care, provides hiring incentives for health professionals, expands an assistance program for caregivers of veterans and creates an infrastructure commission on modernizing VA facilities.
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But how the job gets done is now open to question because of the signing statement Trump issued after his Rose Garden statement and the administration’s opposition to certain funding measures. Previous presidents also issued signing statements to oppose portions of legislation they had signed into law. It can be a controversial action if the signing statement, like Trump’s, essentially says the president will not follow the law as passed by Congress.
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Trump’s statement said that three provisions infringe upon his presidential authority:
- One section “purports to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (the “Secretary”) to obtain the approval of the chairmen of two congressional committees before expending more than $50 million of appropriated funds in a fiscal year on certain pilot programs. Under the separation of powers, the Congress may not make the approval of members of Congress a precondition to the execution of the law.”
- Another section “would require the President to consult with members of Congress on the appointment of the members to the Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission.” Trump said he expects to confer with Congress, “but a requirement to consult with the Congress in executive decision-making violates the separation of powers, including where the Congress has vested the President alone or a department head with authority to make appointments. I will accordingly treat this provision as hortatory but not mandatory.”
- A third section “purports to require all Federal agencies to make available to the Commission any information it considers necessary to perform its duties.” Trump reserved the right “to withhold information that could impair foreign relations, national security, the deliberative processes of the executive branch, or the performance of the President’s constitutional duties.”