VA cuts program for homeless vets after touting Trump's commitment

[highplainsdem]

Source: Politico

Four days after Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin held a big Washington event to tout the Trump administration’s promise to house all homeless vets, the agency did an about-face, telling advocates it was pulling resources from a major housing program.

The VA said it was essentially ending a special $460 million program that has dramatically reduced homelessness among chronically sick and vulnerable veterans. Instead, the money would go to local VA hospitals that can use it as they like, as long as they show evidence of dealing with homelessness.

Anger exploded on a Dec. 1 call that was arranged by Shulkin’s Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans to explain the move. Advocates for veterans, state officials and even officials from HUD, which co-sponsors the program, attacked the decision, according to five people who were on the call.

"I don’t understand why you are pulling the rug out," Elisha Harig-Blaine, a National League of Cities housing official who was on the call, said in an interview afterward. "You're putting at risk the lives of men and women who've served this country."

-snip-

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/06/homeless-veterans-benefits-trump-207781

[Iliyah]

1. Where the hell is the media, oh that's right

Al Franken.

[whathehell]

2. Sure..It's what we call "Thanks of a grateful nation"

I'm sickened, sickened and heartbroken.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Pure evil. Again. So sad to see this.

Just as they insist all embryos become old people and die, without using any social services, they also want all soldiers to go fight, and if they don't get killed there, disappear, anyway.

This world has unlikely seen uglier people than our fascists.

[Plucketeer]

4. Rah Rah Veterans

Here's your ration of shit soup. Be careful not to spill it in your cardboard condo!

[CurtEastPoint]

5. Every time I see one of these, I just know they don't mean it.

[djacq]

6. The GOP Unraveling the Safety Net is Starting

Last edited Thu Dec 7, 2017, 01:02 AM - Edit history (1)

ACA
CHIP
Federal Protected Lands
Protections of Immigrants
DACA
EPA Regulation
CFPB

Heed Senator Bernie Sanders warning of what will be next;
Social Security
Medicaid
Medicare
Welfare

[IronLionZion]

7. While we're distracted with an obvious GOP takedown of a US senator

they screw over as many Americans as they can and quickly throw homeless vets under the bus after everyone saw their BS promises just a few days ago to help these people. The GOP lie, cheat, and steal their way through life so easily it's normalized now.

While thinking of how to help these poor veterans, think about the millions of idiot voters who don't know this and are still assuming that Trump and GOP are helping our nation's veterans while ungrateful liberals are probably kneeling for the anthem or doing something immoral and sinful.

it's frustrating how these assholes run circles around our side.

[mr_lebowski]

8. Next step ... privatize the VA ... they're just doing the whole thing in an order less likely to ...

Arouse 'suspicion'.

This is a $460M Red Carpet designed to invite Big Ins ... to take over the VA.

Can't do it without a HUGE BRIBE, as there's quite a financial liability there.

Expect further cuts in Vets entitlements to be quietly announced (in highly trickled form) over the coming year or so, followed within another year or two with privatization, as long as cost$ have been reduced (i.e. expensive liabilities ... are eliminated) ...

[Akoto]

9. "...so long as they show evidence of dealing with homelessness." How?

What are they supposed to do, convert part of their hospitals into apartments? Ho(spi)tels?

If you want someone to deal with homelessness among veterans, how about giving the money to - I dunno - a program dedicated to exactly that? Like the one they took the cash from?

Crap like this makes me think I, a crippled 32 year old, could successfully get into politics.

[raccoon]

10. This is disgusting. At the same time, I think any vets

This is disgusting. At the same time, I think any vetsWho voted for Trump Or other Republicans, well, they asked for it, they got it.

Just like when the Republicans go after Social Security and Medicare, any people who are currently benefiting from those programs, well if They voted Republican it serves them right. If they are bitching about the cuts and they voted Republican, remind them of that.

[Cold War Spook]

11. I think Trump et al

are using their own version of a poem? from WWII about they came for the Catholics and I wasn't a Catholic so I did nothing. What they are doing is slowly chipping away any benefits they can starting with small amounts, $460 million is a small amount of the budget, working their way up with out causing too much of a fuss until everyone not in the 1% are totally screwed.

[Achilleaze]

12. republican Draft-Dodger-in-in-Chief leads GOP piss-party on America's veterans

deplorable.