Hung Cao called a radical plan that could jeopardize benefits for Virginia veterans “perfect” – threatening the health and well-being of more than 700,000 Virginians eligible for VA benefits.
In February of 2022, Florida Senator Rick Scott, then serving as the leader of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, rolled out a radical budgetary plan for the GOP that he saw as a blueprint if he were to become Majority Leader. Hung Cao bragged that he was consulted by Rick Scott about the plan and called it “perfect” and endorsed Rick Scott for Majority Leader and called him his political mentor.
Part of Scott’s 11-point plan was to sunset VA benefits every five years. Currently VA benefits are mandatory funding in the budget agreement, but forcing Congress to repeatedly approve them would put them on the chopping block. Because of this plan, there would be no guarantee to the 700,000 Virginia veterans who rely on these programs for their health care.
Mitch McConnell even lambasted Scott for this radical plan, saying “It’s just a bad idea.” What is crystal clear is that while this plan was far from perfect for McConnell, Hung Cao thinks this radical scheme would be “perfect.”
“Instead of keeping our promises to our veterans, Hung Cao supports a radical plan that could jeopardize the health of 700,000 Virginians who served this country and are eligible for VA benefits,” said Michael Beyer, Communications Director for Senator Kaine’s campaign. “Senator Kaine knows how important it is to keep our promises to our veterans, which is why he voted to pass the largest expansion of VA benefits in decades. Senator Kaine always wants to make sure we honor the sacrifices of our veterans, keep our promises to those who served, and find new ways to support veterans going forward.”
Cao’s Cuts is a series the Kaine for Virginia campaign launched to highlight how Hung Cao supports a radical plan that could weaken border security; defund law enforcement; jeopardize veterans’ benefits; raise taxes on active-duty servicemembers and disenfranchise veterans; put Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid on the chopping block; raise taxes on Virginia families and small businesses; and give the rich giant tax giveaways.
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