Alan Simpson: “What has been curious to me, as chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, is the remarkable behavior of the Secretary…”

“What has been curious to me, as chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, is the remarkable behavior of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Jesse Brown. He is continually distancing himself and the VA from the President's budget. I understand he testified early last month before the House Veterans' Affairs Committee that he ``felt the President's budget would be devastating for veterans.'' Later in the month, April 24, the Secretary appeared before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, which I chair, and which I oversee as chairman. In response to a question from my friend, Senator Craig of Idaho, the Secretary stated that the VA budget described in a document submitted to the Congress--over the signature of the President and entitled ``Budget of the United States of America''--does not represent the policy of the President. I ask, whose policy does it represent? Did an employee of the Government Printing Office change the numbers for the proposed VA budget on his or her own, making the President of the United States and the Congress the victims of some wild practical joke?”