If the federal government’s partial shutdown continues into late October, Veterans Affairs Department compensation in November for more than five million beneficiaries—including nearly 4 million military veterans—would halt, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki told lawmakers on Wednesday. Further, “once mandatory funds are depleted at the end of this month, nearly 5,600 veterans a day will not receive a decision on their disability claims,” he said in testimony before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Education benefits would also take a hit if the shutdown doesn’t end soon, he said. More than 10,000 VA employees are now on temporarily furlough due to the shutdown, said Shinseki during the Oct. 9 hearing. “It’s a shame that Washington’s dysfunction has led to the furloughs of thousands of dedicated VA employees and may jeopardize benefits for some veterans,” said Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), HVAC chairman, in a statement. (Shinseki’s prepared testimony) (AFPS report by Donna Miles)
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.