Florida U.S. Senate Candidate Spending Analysis – Marco Rubio
Total Net Spending Agenda: -$153.292 billion (savings)
Economy,
Transportation, and Infrastructure: Unknown
A. Foreclosure Forbearance:
“Stop [f]oreclosures [f]or [t]hose [a]ffected. People
adversely affected by the oil spill should not have to worry about losing their
homes. Congressmen [Jeff] Miller and Adam Putnam (R-FL) have put forth a bill
that would allow for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to
provide forbearance for those sustaining economic losses due to the oil spill
and to evaluate what resources and programs available within the agency could
provide further assistance.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/ideas-to-reclaim-america-23-simple-ways-to-create-jobs-grow-our-economy-and-help-the-gulf-coast-recover/
Cost: Unknown.
Note: Representatives Miller and
Putnam introduced H.R. 5601 (111th Congress), the Gulf Coast
Homeowners Relief Act of 2010. A cost estimate
is unavailable.
B. Free Trade Agreements:
“Promote economic growth and job creation through trade. We
must continue to reduce barriers to trade by adopting the free trade agreements
that have already been negotiated with Colombia,
Panama, South Korea and other nations
around the world. We should also insist that other countries reduce their own
trade barriers so that American goods can find new markets.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Rubio_Policy-Paper-12SimpleWaystoCreateJobsandGrowtheEconomy.pdf
Cost: Unknown.
Note: The primary impact of free
trade bills is generally on federal revenues.
Depending on the terms of the
agreement, there may be some outlay effects as well. For example, the
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that H.R. 3688, the United States-Peru Trade Promotion
Agreement Implementation Act (110th Congress), “would reduce revenues
by $20 million in 2008, increase revenues by $292 million over the 2008-2012
period, and reduce revenues by $423 million over the 2008-2017 period. CBO
estimates that enacting H.R. 3688 also would increase direct spending by $4
million in 2008 and by $27 million over the 2008-2012 period, and reduce direct
spending by $443 million over the 2008-2017 period. Further, CBO estimates that
implementing the legislation would result in new discretionary spending of less
than $500,000 per year, assuming the availability of appropriated funds.”
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdoc.cfm?index=8790&type=1
C. Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP):
“Reallocate [t]he [b]ank [b]ailout [p]rogram [f]unding [t]o [c]ut
[t]he [d]ebt. While the TARP program needs to be ended, using it to help offset
the Financial Regulation Reform, which is beyond its purpose, is wrong. The
funds should be returned to the Treasury and other spending cuts should be made
to offset the financial regulation reform costs.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/ideas-to-reclaim-america-12-simple-ways-to-cut-spending/
Cost: Unknown.
Note: TARP ended October 3, 2010.
Moreover, H.R. 4173 (111th Congress, became Public Law 111-203), the
Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, effectively prevented the
Treasury from incurring any new obligations under the program after June 25,
2010. CBO’s Budget and Economic Outlook:
An Update (August 2010) projects that TARP will cost $22 billion over the
next four years. NTUF assumes that these costs are the result of pending
transactions initiated before June 25.
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/117xx/doc11705/08-18-Update.pdf
Note: NTUF assumes that the
“financial regulation reform costs” to which Rubio refers are in regard to H.R.
4173. CBO reported that the conference agreement on the bill will increase
direct spending by $14.9 billion over the next five years. CBO did not complete
an estimate of discretionary spending in the bill. NTUF is unable to determine
what cuts Rubio would make to offset these outlays.
http://www.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=11596&sequence=0&from=6
Education, Science,
and Research: $3 million
A. D.C.
Opportunity Scholarship Program:
“Reinstate The D.C. Opportunity
Scholarship Program. The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship has been a great success
for low-income families in the nation’s capital. The program has given many
students real opportunities that otherwise do not exist in the chronically
ineffective and violence-plagued D.C. public school system. It is tragic that
the President is phasing out the scholarship. We must overturn that action,
then reauthorize and expand this important program.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/ideas-to-reclaim-america-12-simple-ways-to-improve-education-and-prepare-our-children-for-the-jobs-of-tomorrow/
Cost: $3 million
($15 million over five years).
Source: The program is currently
being funded through a continuing resolution at $12 million and is not allowed
to award new scholarships; the funding is only available for existing
participants. At its height of funding, in Fiscal Year 2008, the program
received $15 million. This estimate is based on the cost to reauthorize the
program. It is unknown how much Rubio would expand the availability of
scholarships to new participants. In the past, the program received four
applicants for every available scholarship. The maximum scholarship is $7,500,
and the average award is roughly $5,000.
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy10/pdf/appendix/edu.pdf
B. National Virtual Learning Platform:
“Promote [a] [n]ational [v]irtual [l]earning [p]latform. We
should launch a private sector grant competition similar to ‘Race to the Top’
in order to develop a state of the art national virtual learning platform
accessible to all U.S. students interested in supplementing their education.
But unlike ‘Race [t]o [t]he Top,’ which is paid for with borrowed stimulus,
this competition would be funded through a public-private partnership or with
matching funds provided by education-minded philanthropy organizations.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/ideas-to-reclaim-america-12-simple-ways-to-improve-education-and-prepare-our-children-for-the-jobs-of-tomorrow/
Cost: Unknown.
Note: This type of partnership
could be financed through a federal grant program, or via tax credits, similar
to H.R. 4258 (111th Congress), the Public Private Vocational
Partnership Act, which would allow a business credit for donations for
vocational educational purposes. A CBO cost estimate is not available.
C. Teachers – State Incentives for Malpractice Reform:
“Similar to our
federal malpractice reform approach, the federal government should incentivize
states to provide teachers the protection they deserve.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/ideas-to-reclaim-america-12-simple-ways-to-improve-education-and-prepare-our-children-for-the-jobs-of-tomorrow/
Cost: Unknown.
Energy, Agriculture,
and the Environment: $19 million
A. Agricultural Research:
“Matching [g]rants [f]or [a]griculture [r]esearch. Research
to protect against foreign pests and diseases has always been a primary pursuit
of agriculture across the country. … As private industry continues to research
these and other diseases, the federal government should assist in matching a
portion of the research. This will ensure agriculture has the revenue needed to
defeat the threats and protect America’s
crops.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-six-simple-ways-to-help-floridas-agriculture-community/
Cost: $19 million
($94 million over five years).
Source: Related legislation was
introduced in the form of S. 3568 (111th Congress), a bill to amend
the Trade Act of 1974 to create a Citrus Disease Research and Development Trust
Fund to support research on diseases impacting the citrus industry, and for
other purposes. A CBO cost estimate is available.
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/118xx/doc11819/s3568.pdf
Note: This
estimate does not include other research Rubio may support.
B. Pest and Disease
Interdiction:
“Reform America’s
[f]oreign [p]est [a]nd [d]isease [i]nterdiction [p]rocess. … We need to ensure that inspectors have the
capabilities to identify threats offshore, target inspections effectively, and
are given the necessary tools, such as canine teams on the front lines, to find
them.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-six-simple-ways-to-help-floridas-agriculture-community/
Cost: Unknown.
Note: A 2006
Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, “Homeland Security: Management
and Coordination Problems Increase the Vulnerability of U.S. Agriculture to
Foreign Pests and Disease,” noted, “[Customs and Border Protection] and [USDA’s
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service] also continue to experience
difficulty in sharing information such as key policy changes and urgent
inspection alerts, and CBP has allowed the number and proficiency of
agriculture canine units to decline.” A number of GAO’s recommendations were
implemented.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-06-644
Federal Government:
-$154.22 billion (savings)
A. Budget – Congress and the White House:
“We must cut the budgets of Congress and the White House by
10%.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/ideas-to-reclaim-america-12-simple-ways-to-cut-spending/
Cost: -$506 million
(first-year savings).
Source: In April, 2010, the
Congressional Research Service reported that the legislative branch’s operation
budget for FY 2010 was $4.65 billion. This does not account for mandatory
spending on Congressional salaries and benefits for lawmakers and staffs.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41214.pdf
The Budget of the United
States Government, Fiscal Year 2011
estimates that the Executive Office of the President spent $406 million in FY
2010 (excluding outlays from the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund, and from
the Presidential Transition account.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2011/assets/eop.pdf
Note: This estimate assumes the cuts
are made in one year.
B. Budget – Earmarks:
“We should ban earmarks as Sen. Jim DeMint proposed in
Congress this year. This could save $15-20 billion annually and stop Congress
from using pork barrel projects to buy votes for things like the health care
bill.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/ideas-to-reclaim-america-12-simple-ways-to-cut-spending/
Cost: Unknown.
Note: Eliminating earmarks does not
necessarily reduce spending. Earmarks are special instructions on the use of
appropriated funds. If the earmarked funds are returned to the agencies’
general appropriations and are not rescinded, no savings would result.
C. Budget – Non-Defense, Non-Veterans Spending Freeze:
“We should freeze non-defense and non-veterans discretionary
spending at pre-Obama levels. In
addition, we should actually enforce our goals to cut spending and reduce the
deficit by making automatic cuts if politicians won’t.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/ideas-to-reclaim-america-12-simple-ways-to-cut-spending/
Cost: -$108.414
billion (first-year savings).
Source: According to Tables 3.1 and
8.1 of the Budget of the U.S.
Government, Fiscal Year 2011, Historical Tables, FY 2008 levels for
non-defense, non-veterans spending totaled $437.6 billion, and are expected to
reach $546.1 billion in FY 2011.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicals
D. Federal Workforce Reduction:
“In addition, we should reduce [the federal civilian
workforce’s] size to 2008 levels. To accomplish this without disrupting
critical government services, we should implement a policy of only hiring just
one civilian employee for every two that leave government.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/ideas-to-reclaim-america-12-simple-ways-to-cut-spending/
Cost: -$3.5
billion ($17.5 billion savings over five years).
Source: Related legislation was
introduced in the form of H.R. 5348 (111th Congress), the Federal
Workforce Reduction Act of 2010, which would allow the government to hire only
one employee for every two workers who leave. Defense, Homeland Security, and
Veterans Affairs employees are exempted. The sponsor reports that this would
save $35 billion over ten years.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0810/080910l1.htm
E. Federal Workforce Salaries:
“… [W]e should freeze federal civilian workforce pay for one
year and bring the pay scale back in line with market rates. “
http://www.marcorubio.com/ideas-to-reclaim-america-12-simple-ways-to-cut-spending/
Cost: -$2 billion
(first-year savings).
Source: Related legislation was
introduced in the form of H.R. 5382 (111th Congress), to provide for
a temporary freeze on the pay of civilian employees of the Federal Government.
One of the bill’s sponsors stated this would save $2 billion in the first year.
http://blogs.federaltimes.com/federal-times-blog/2010/05/25/gops-youcut-targets-federal-pay-raises/
F. Stimulus:
“Stimulus money that has not been spent should be used for
something that will actually help the economy and create jobs, or to pay down
the debt. Canceling unspent stimulus
funds could save nearly $300 billion.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/ideas-to-reclaim-america-12-simple-ways-to-cut-spending/
Cost: -$39.8
billion ($199 billion savings over five years).
Source: As of September 17, 2010,
unobligated “stimulus” spending for contracts, grants, loans, and entitlements
totaled $199 billion. NTUF assumes that the bulk of these funds would otherwise
be spent over the next five years. There are an additional $55 billion worth of
unobligated tax benefits, an unknown portion of which may result in outlays
through refundable credits.
http://www.recovery.gov/pages/textview.aspx?List={EB595CCA-D93F-48F4-AF96-11E2D41DE73D}&xsl=Charts/FundingOverviewChartTextView.xsl
Health Care: $62
million
A. Association Health Plans:
“Encourage [s]mall [b]usinesses [a]nd [t]rade [a]ssociations
[t]o [b]and [t]ogether [a]nd [f]orm [a]ssociation [h]ealth [p]lans (AHPs): AHPs
are health plans created for individuals and groups who belong to one of the
approximately 15,000 associations related to their jobs, careers, hobbies or
interests. A significant hindrance to the widespread use of AHPs is the
required compliance of all the different state regulations where members might
live. By federally regulating these plans, individuals and small groups with
similar interests across the country could form AHPs that would lower health
care costs for their members.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-10-simple-ways-to-lower-health-care-costs-and-insure-more-floridians/
Cost: $6 million ($31 million over five years).
Source: CBO cost estimate for H.R. 525 (109th
Congress), a bill to improve access and choice for entrepreneurs with small
businesses with respect to medical care for their employees. The bill was reintroduced in the 111th
Congress in the form of H.R. 2607.
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/62xx/doc6265/hr525.pdf
B. Community Health Centers:
“Increase [t]he [n]umber [o]f [c]ommunity [h]ealth [c]enters
… . By providing more access to preventative and primary care providers, people
can avoid visits to costly emergency rooms for nonemergency or routine care. …
We should focus on expanding their presence to more medically underserved areas
in the country.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-10-simple-ways-to-lower-health-care-costs-and-insure-more-floridians/
Cost: Unknown.
Note: Related legislation was
introduced in the form of S. 1355 (111th Congress), to improve
access to health care for individuals residing in underserved rural areas and
for other purposes. A cost estimate is unavailable. The Budget of the United
States Government, Fiscal Year 2011,
estimates that the government will spend $2.4 billion in 2011 for health
centers.
C. Health Care Pricing Transparency:
“Give [p]eople [t]he [t]ools [t]o [m]ake [c]ost-[c]onscious [d]ecisions [a]bout [t]heir [h]ealth [c]are: Using technology to
promote pricing transparency would engage more individuals in making informed
health care choices. We should ensure price and quality transparency from
providers and insurance companies to clearly lay out what is and is not
covered. This will assist health-care consumers to better understand their
coverage needs, quality of care and costs at their nearby local clinics and
hospitals. For doctors and hospitals, they will be able to find the best price
point to sell their products and improve quality for the patients. Ultimately,
the best way to drive health care costs down is to let the forces of supply and
demand set prices.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-10-simple-ways-to-lower-health-care-costs-and-insure-more-floridians/
Cost: Unknown.
D. Purchase Insurance Across State Lines:
“Allow Individuals To Purchase Health Insurance Across State
Lines: Currently individuals purchasing health insurance are limited to those
policies sold in the state in which they live. Allowing companies to compete in
all 50 states would give individuals more choice, more options, and lower
prices. Further, if people are purchasing insurance from companies across the
country, states will be forced to loosen mandates to compete. If Americans can
buy their auto and life insurance across state lines, they should be able to do
so with their health insurance as well.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-10-simple-ways-to-lower-health-care-costs-and-insure-more-floridians/
Cost: $56 million ($280 million over five years).
Source: CBO cost estimate for H.R. 2355, the Health Care Choice
Act of 2005 (109th Congress), a bill to amend the Public Health
Service Act to provide for cooperative governing of individual health insurance
coverage offered in interstate commerce.
The bill was reintroduced in the 111th Congress in the form
of H.R. 3217.
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/66xx/doc6639/hr2355.pdf
E. Repeal and Replace the Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act:
“As a U.S. Senator, Marco will focus on three goals: first,
repeal and replace Obamacare; second, empower individuals to control their own
health care choices; and third, restore control of health policy to the
states.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-10-simple-ways-to-lower-health-care-costs-and-insure-more-floridians/
Cost: Unknown.
Note: CBO did not complete a
comprehensive analysis of all the spending resulting from passage of the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, PL 111-148). Among the known
costs, including the changes in direct spending listed in a March 11, 2010 CBO letter,
and the specified and certain estimated authorizations and implementation costs
in a CBO letter on May 11, 2010, the law could increase spending by $88.679
billion over the FY 2011 to FY 2015 period. The bill also included unspecified
spending authority that CBO has not estimated.
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/113xx/doc11307/Reid_Letter_HR3590.pdf
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/114xx/doc11490/LewisLtr_HR3590.pdf
However, NTUF does not know what
specific programs Rubio would implement in the place of PPACA. Below are some
of the elements that Rubio has said he would like to see in a health care
reform proposal:
1. Electronic Medical Records:
“Incentivize [t]he [u]se [o]f
[e]lectronic [m]edical [r]ecords (EMRs): EMRs have many potential advantages
including cost reductions, elimination of cumbersome paper records maintenance,
portability, safety and quality care improvements. Unlike the Obama administration’s
approach of imposing standards and regulations, the federal government should
work with private and not-for-profit firms to develop an EMR platform where
applications can be attempted and, if successful, implemented. This
innovation-driven approach can be done while simultaneously respecting patient
privacy and doctors’ professional integrity.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-10-simple-ways-to-lower-health-care-costs-and-insure-more-floridians/
Cost: Unknown.
Note: President Bush offered a
proposal to increase online medical record availability in his 2007 State of
the Union Address, at a cost of $169 million, but it is unknown whether Rubio
would follow exactly this approach.
http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=115
2. State Insurance
Reform Incentives:
“Incentivize
[s]tate [i]nsurance [r]eform: States throughout America have different regulatory
regimes that drive up the cost of health insurance, particularly in the
individual and small-group markets. Some of these regulations are justified,
others only complicate the market. While allowing individuals to buy across
state lines will prompt states to reform, we should also further encourage
states to increase market flexibility.
Incentives can be created using federal funds in state-federal programs
to help unleash the market potential in the private insurance market.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-10-simple-ways-to-lower-health-care-costs-and-insure-more-floridians/
Cost: Unknown.
3. Pre-existing
Conditions:
“Adopt A Sensible
Program To Cover Those With Pre-Existing Conditions: Even before Obamacare,
federal law prohibited insurance companies from denying coverage to patients
with pre-existing conditions. In addition, many states have programs to cover
those who didn’t have employer-provided insurance and couldn’t get it from the
individual insurance market because of pre-existing conditions. Instead of an
expensive and unworkable new federal program, the federal government should
pass legislation to allow patients to switch insurance coverage (regardless of
whether they are in the employer-provided or individual insurance market)
without risking pre-existing condition exclusion. For those who are temporarily
unemployed and cannot be covered under Medicaid, state high-risk-pool programs
can help, and the federal government should help the states with block grants.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-10-simple-ways-to-lower-health-care-costs-and-insure-more-floridians/
Cost: Unknown.
Note: The PPACA
included $5 billion for high risk pools to help cover individuals with
pre-existing conditions. H.R. 4038 (111th Congress), the Common
Sense Health Care Reform and Affordability Act, a Republican alternative, would
provide $25 billion for high-risk pools.
http://www.gop.gov/policy-news/10/07/02/obamacares-temporary-high-risk-pools
F. State Medical Malpractice Reform:
“Incentivize [s]tate [m]edical [m]alpractice [r]eform:
Recent lottery-size awards and frivolous lawsuits have put a heavy burden on
doctors, hospitals, and, through defensive medicine, on the health care
system. According to the Heritage
Foundation, it is estimated that in 2007 alone, the tort system cost $252
billion. It is also estimated that ordering unnecessary tests and treatments,
otherwise known as defensive medicine, may cost us anywhere from $191 billion
to $239 billion a year. Not
surprisingly, states have been leading the way since the mid-1970s in enacting
tort reform policies. However, overcoming those special interests dedicated to
maintaining ease of lawsuits can be difficult. This is why the federal
government should incentivize medical tort reforms at the state level.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-10-simple-ways-to-lower-health-care-costs-and-insure-more-floridians/
Cost: Unknown.
Note: In a 2009 letter to Senator Orrin Hatch, CBO stated “Tort
reform could affect costs for health care both directly and indirectly:
directly, by lowering premiums for medical liability insurance; and indirectly,
by reducing the use of diagnostic tests and other health care services when
providers recommend those services principally to reduce their potential
exposure to lawsuits.” The agency
estimated potential savings of $10.3 billion over five years, but it is not
certain whether Rubio’s incentives would yield the same savings.
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/106xx/doc10641/10-09-Tort_Reform.pdf
G. Unapproved Drug Initiative:
“The FDA must ramp up its Unapproved Drug Initiative and
protect patients from the potential harms of unproven products, especially when
approved versions are readily available. Furthermore, the FDA should streamline
and more-effectively regulate the drug approval process without sacrificing
quality control. These actions will ensure that unapproved drugs are pulled
from the market, and that pharmaceutical companies voluntarily put their
products into an efficient and cost effective approval process.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-seven-simple-ways-to-protect-seniors/
Cost: Unknown.
Homeland Security and
Law Enforcement: $30 million
A. Financial Crime Prosecutions:
“Increase [p]rosecutions [o]n [t]hose [w]ho [p]rey [o]n
[s]eniors [t]hrough [f]raud [a]nd [f]inancial [c]rimes. Seniors often have
accumulated resources such as property, insurance and pension plans, savings,
stocks and bonds, and other assets that are not always closely monitored. … We
must increase prosecutions for those who commit fraud against seniors and help
raise awareness of this important issue.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-seven-simple-ways-to-protect-seniors/
Cost: $30 million
($150 million over five years).
Source: Related legislation has
been introduced in the form of H.R. 5884 and S. 3494 (111th
Congress), the Senior Financial Empowerment Act of 2010, to prevent mail, telemarketing,
and Internet fraud targeting seniors in the United States, to promote efforts
to increase public awareness of the enormous impact that mail, telemarketing,
and Internet fraud have on seniors, to educate the public, seniors, their
families, and their caregivers about how to identify and combat fraudulent
activity, and for other purposes. The text authorizes $30 million per year.
Note: No legislation in the 111th
Congress deals specifically with prosecution of fraud against seniors.
H.R. 1748, the Fight Fraud Act of 2009 would authorize funding to investigate
financial fraud across all demographic groups. CBO estimates the bill would
cost $805 million over five years.
http://www.cbo.gov/cedirect.cfm?bill=hr1748≅=111
B. Identity Theft:
“We must continue raising awareness and ensure the
Department of Justice establishes a coordinated plan and makes combating
identity theft a priority.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-seven-simple-ways-to-protect-seniors/
Cost: Unknown.
National Defense and
International Relations: Unknown
A. National Defense:
“… [W]e must make it crystal clear that we will defend our
nation, our interests and our allies against any group, nation or power. … To
do so will require modernizing our Cold War weapons systems, building a robust
missile defense system and investing in our intelligence services.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/marco-rubio-delivers-remarks-to-the-florida-vfw/
Cost:
Unknown.
B. U.S.
Embassy in Jerusalem:
“The U.S.
should work toward the goal of moving our Embassy there [to Jerusalem].”
http://www.marcorubio.com/marco-rubio-delivers-remarks-about-the-need-to-stand-with-israel/
Cost: Unknown.
C. West Bank:
“We should actively support pragmatic efforts to build
Palestinian institutions in the West Bank, so that Palestinian self-rule
becomes possible – without imposing unacceptable risks for Israel’s security.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/marco-rubio-delivers-remarks-about-the-need-to-stand-with-israel/
Cost: Unknown.
Note: In FY 2010,
the United States
provided $502.9 million in assistance to the Palestinians.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS22967.pdf
Veterans: $814
million
A. Department of Defense and Veterans Administration (VA) Coordination:
“The transition from Department of Defense to the VA has
been marred by lost records, incompatible systems and lengthy delays. We need
to develop and implement a process to ensure a seamless transition that
includes secure, efficient electronic transfers of medical and service records.
In addition, we should make it a priority to inform new veterans of their
benefits to ensure they are aware of all the benefits they have earned.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-%E2%80%9C10-simple-ways-to-preserve-america%E2%80%99s-commitment-to-our-veterans%E2%80%9D/
Cost: Unknown.
Note: Current efforts in this area are
underway; it is unknown what additional steps Rubio would implement. According
to Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, more than $110 million was
invested in tele-health technology in 2010, which includes technology for the
virtual lifetime electronic records system. VA expects to spend $163 million on
these programs next year linking the Department of Defense’s and VA’s
transition projects.
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=60677
B. Education Benefits:
“The original and post-9/11 G.I. Bills gave many veterans
the opportunity to study and pursue their education. However, we must continue
seeking ways to simplify, standardize and the [sic] streamline aspects of the program to improve its effectiveness
so that no eligible veteran seeking additional education is denied.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-%E2%80%9C10-simple-ways-to-preserve-america%E2%80%99s-commitment-to-our-veterans%E2%80%9D/
Cost: Unknown.
Note: Related legislation was
introduced in the form of H.R. 1902 (111th Congress), to provide
veterans with individualized notice about available benefits, to streamline
application processes for the benefits, and for other purposes. This bill is
not specific to education benefits, and a cost estimate is unavailable.
C. Mobile Health Care Clinics:
“Increase [v]eterans [m]obile [h]ealthcare [c]linics. In
2008, the VA announced four mobile health clinics to bring care to veterans in
predominately rural counties. In 2009, Haley
Veterans Medical
Center in Tampa received their first clinic and began
conducting primary care, general evaluations, community outreach and support
for homeless veterans. We need to consider adding to the fleet and continue to
provide support to those veterans far away from the medical center.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-%E2%80%9C10-simple-ways-to-preserve-america%E2%80%99s-commitment-to-our-veterans%E2%80%9D/
Cost: Unknown.
Note: The VA currently operates
Rural Mobile Health Care Clinics as a pilot program in four areas. In 2007, CBO
estimated this pilot program would cost $22 million over five years. It is
unclear how much additional funding Rubio would provide to expand this program.
http://veterans.senate.gov/hearings.cfm?action=release.display&release_id=2a17a231-91af-414a-a720-8517ace6d1f2
D. Traumatic Brain Injuries:
“The VA’s doctors need to have the authority to collaborate
with the small segment of the civilian medical profession that works on
traumatic brain injuries.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-%E2%80%9C10-simple-ways-to-preserve-america%E2%80%99s-commitment-to-our-veterans%E2%80%9D/
Cost: Unknown.
E. Veterans Administration (VA) Claims Backlog:
“Unresolved veterans compensation, pension and other matters
are quickly approaching a backlog of 1 million claims. We must ensure the VA
has adequate leadership and the resources needed to reduce this backlog in a
timely manner.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-%E2%80%9C10-simple-ways-to-preserve-america%E2%80%99s-commitment-to-our-veterans%E2%80%9D/
Cost: $796 million
($3.98 billion over five years).
Source: Related legislation has
been introduced in the form of H.R. 3504 (111th Congress), the VA
Case Backlog Alleviation and Economic Stimulus Act of 2009, to provide for a 2
percent rescission of unobligated funds previously appropriated under the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to be used by the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to hire claims processors. The dollar figure was calculated
from 2 percent of the repeal of stimulus funds as listed under the “Federal
Government” section.
F. Veterans Benefits Outreach and Enrollment:
“We need to continue developing our support programs for
these critically wounded warriors and increase enrollment and outreach efforts
to them and to veterans of previous wars. … [W]e must continue to raise
awareness and enlist the public’s aid in meeting the needs of severely injured
servicemen and women as they transition from active duty to civilian life.”
http://www.marcorubio.com/rubio-announces-%E2%80%9C10-simple-ways-to-preserve-america%E2%80%99s-commitment-to-our-veterans%E2%80%9D/
Cost: $18 million ($73
million over four years).
Source: Related legislation has
been introduced in the form of H.R. 32 (111th Congress), the
Veterans Outreach Improvement Act, which was incorporated into the reported
version of H.R. 3949. A CBO estimate is available.
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/107xx/doc10702/hr3949.pdf
PDF
Policy Paper
