Vets’ health care reform hits roadblock

Congressional Democrats have blocked — for now — controversial legislation that would offer military veterans more access to for-profit health care at taxpayer expense, a noteworthy setback to the Trump administration’s legislative agenda and for one of the president’s core constituencies.

It’s unclear what will become of the Caring for our Veterans Act, which on Monday appeared to be headed into the budget with a compromise plan supported by the White House and eight major veterans advocacy groups. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi “put the brakes on the legislation,” according to congressional aides in both parties. She and other Democrats are concerned the bill would diminish congressional oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs, that it goes too far in outsourcing care and fails to address some of agency’s biggest problems.

“It won’t reduce wait times and won’t make the VA easier to use,” said a House Democratic aide.

The legislation, which is popular within the White House, but viewed skeptically among veterans groups and Democrats, is a priority for Trump and has become part of the bitter fight over VA Secretary David Shulkin’s standing in the administration. Shulkin, the only Obamaera holdover in Trump’s Cabinet, has fallen from favor with the White House in part over his reluctance to more fully support outsourcing veterans care.

The compromise would continue to fund improvements for VA while also offering veterans more options.