Deal Reached on VA Health Care

“A $15 billion VA health care deal has been reached after a weekend of negotiating to resolve differences between the House and Senate,” Roll Call reports.

“According to a summary of the agreement… the negotiators agreed to $15 billion in emergency mandatory spending — $10 billion for a new private care option for veterans and another $5 billion for improvements within the VA, like hiring doctors and nurses and upgrading facilities.”

Wall Street Journal: “The agreement is a bright spot for a Congress that has been legislatively impotent recently, unable to reach agreement on bills or even bring much substantive legislation to the floor for a vote, causing even congressmen to criticize the acrid environment in the Capitol.”