Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Monday a $62 billion plan to supplement the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate released a video coinciding with the announcement in which he used his past work on the issue with late Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain on the issue. (RELATED: Bernie’s New Immigration Proposal: Break Up ICE, Decriminalize Illegal Immigration, 50,000 ‘Climate Migrants’ And More)
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Sanders, who voted against President Trump’s $52 billion VA Mission Act back in 2018, vowed to “end the disgraceful practice of President Trump and VA Secretary Wilkie, who have willfully chosen to ignore the medical community.”
His plan explicitly calls for $62 billion in additional funding for the VA, filling 50,000 agency vacancies and eliminating the VA backlog of 70,000 servicemen awaiting treatment. (RELATED: Bernie Sanders Rails Against The Two Wall Street Billionaires Running In The Democratic Primary)
Sanders, a vocal supporter of marijuana legalization, also vowed to “ensure any servicemember discharged from the military for marijuana use or possession can apply for a discharge upgrade, so they can become eligible for the full complement of services and benefits provided by the VA,” and to expand options for VA providers to responsibly prescribe medical marijuana to patients.