Media contact: Jeff Schrade

(202) 224-9093

(Washington, DC) U.S. Senator Larry Craig, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, announced today that the committee will hold an emergency hearing on the VA's budget after a mid-year review revealed that the VA's 2005 budget is more than billion dollars short, thus leaving a large budget gap for next year.

The VA spends approximately $600 million each week to pay for veterans' health care needs. To fill the current budget gap, the VA is using money budgeted for capital infrastructure projects and drawing on money planned for carry-over into next year's budget.

The hearing, titled, "Emergency Hearing to Examine the Shortfall in VA's Medical Care Budget" will be held Tuesday, June 28, in room 418 of the Russell Senate Office Building, starting at 10 a.m. Depending on Senate camera availability, it may be webcast live on the committee's website. It may also be audiocast on C-SPAN's hearing's website, located at http://www.capitolhearings.org.

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