President requests 3 percent increase for VA budget
President Barack Obama has increased the Department of Veterans Affairs’ budget each year since he took office, claiming the funds would give veterans the health care they deserve. However, an analysis of records show the agency has spent close to $500 million on office furniture under the Obama administration.
This upcoming fiscal year Obama requested a 3 percent increase for the Veterans Affairs budget. Obama’s FY 2015 budget request points out he has increased the VA discretionary budget by 35.2 percent since 2009 so veterans continue to access necessary services.
The VA has spent a total of $489 million to upgrade conference rooms, buy draperies, and purchase new office furniture during the past four-and-a-half years.
A total of 15,010 contracts were awarded for office furniture by the VA for Fiscal Years 2010 through 2014.
One contract awarded $6.8 million for construction of a conference room and facilities at its Carol Stream, Ill., office. That renovation is ongoing and is expected to be completed next April.
To make the office makeovers complete, draperies, roller shades, and cornice boxes were also purchased. The VA spent $10.7 million in the past five fiscal years on curtains and draperies.
Some of those contracts include $454,085 for “cubical curtains and draperies” for its Brecksville, Ohio, office. The Pittsburg, Pa., VA office spent $382,879 on window shades which were just installed in January.
Instead of draperies, the VA’s Los Alamitos office preferred cornice boxes and roller shades. The contract shows they spent $106,615 on its window treatments.
There must be some mistake. No one got injured or killed in the Iraq-Afghanistan conflict. This was a cakewalk, they welcomed us, oil was going to pay for it. Pay no attention to those vets wanting care. Tell them to get lost and stop faking it.