President Donald Trump signed the VA Mission Act June 6 to expand veterans' access to private healthcare, though he has fought the bipartisan funding bill proposed by legislators, according to The Washington Post.
The Mission Act does not appropriate funding for the bill, and senators from both parties have proposed $50 billion in new spending. President Trump's administration has lobbied Republicans to get the funding by cutting other spending.
"Without subjecting the program to any budgetary constraint, there is no incentive to continue to serve veterans with innovative, streamlined and efficient quality of care," according a Trump administration memo obtained by The Washington Post.
Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, warned that unless the administration approves a new spending bill, lawmakers will be forced to cut $10 billion a year for five years from the existing program.
Reforming the VA was a major part of President Trump's election campaign, but he faced conservative backlash after Congress passed a $1.3 trillion spending bill in March.