Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward C. Byers Jr., receives the Medal of Honor from President Obama at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday, February 29, 2016. Byers was honored for his actions during a 2012 hostage rescue operation in Afghanistan. (Mike Morones/Staff)A Trooper assigned to Palehorse Troop, 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, tactically crosses a road while proceeding to his fire team's next objective during their unit's live-fire exercise at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, located near Rose Barracks, Germany, Feb. 24, 2016. The unit used this exercise to update and train their Soldiers on tactical ground combat techniques while also conducting live-fire ranges on their FGM-148 Javelin missiles and their Stryker Mobile Gun System. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. William A. Tanner)Recruits of Alpha Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, participate in the Slide for Life obstacle during Confidence Course II at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Feb. 23. This obstacle required recruits to climb a 25-foot tower and slide down a 90-foot cable above a pool of water. Annually, more than 17,000 males recruited from the Western Recruiting Region are trained at MCRD San Diego. Alpha Company is scheduled to graduate April 22.Marine Corps recruits participate in a confidence course at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Feb. 23, 2016. The recruits are assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Angelica I. Annastas A U.S. Army jumpmaster, center, gives commands to U.S. troops and German soldiers inside a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter as part of an airborne exercise over Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Feb. 18, 2016. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Emily Houdershieldt Air Force Senior Airman Noah Lindquist tests his night vision goggles in the back of a C-130J Super Hercules before a sortie on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Feb. 22, 2016. Lindquist is a loadmaster assigned to the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron. Loadmasters calculate aircraft weight, conduct cargo and personnel airdrops, scan for threats and troubleshoot problems in the air. Air Force photo Tech. Sgt. Robert Cloys Virginia National Guard Soldiers assist local, state, federal and volunteer organizations with response efforts Feb. 28, 2016, in Appomattox County, Virginia after severe weather caused significant damage in the area. Soldiers from the Petersburg-based 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command and Fredericksburg-based 116th Special Troops Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team used chain saws to reduce debris and also conducted health and welfare checks and helped deliver food and water. Read more about the Guard assistance at http://go.usa.gov/cvpzF. (Photo by Cotton Puryear, Virginia National Guard Public Affairs)Defense Secretary Ash Carter lays a wreath at the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C., Feb. 29, 2016. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Tim D. Godbee
Coast Guard Station Burlington, Vermont’s ice rescue team trains in Burlington Bay Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016. Ice rescue teams use a number of techniques to assist survivors who have fallen through the ice. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Barresi)The Thunderbirds pilots perform the 5-card loop during a practice demonstration Feb. 29, 2016, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Christopher Boitz)U.S. Army active duty and vetern Warrior athletes, take a pause to make sure the participants are not suffering from any kind of injury during their cycling training for the 2016 Army Trials at Fort Bliss Texas, Feb. 28, 2016. More than 100 wounded, ill and injured Soldiers and veterans are at Fort Bliss to train and compete in a series of athletic events including archery, cycling, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track, and field, and wheelchair basketball. Army Trails, March 6-10, are conducted by the Department of Defense Warrior Games 2016 Army Team, Approximately 250 athletes, representing teams from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Special Operations Command and the British Armed Forces will compete in the DoD Warrior Games June 14-22 at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jensen Craig/Released)
The Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase program aimed to help financially strapped veterans get lower interest rates and avoid eviction from their homes.
Officials are examining facilities across the military medical system, which could mean closing some facilities or downgrading some hospitals to clinics.
Plans to cut more than 80,000 staffers from VA offices would severely hurt benefits delivery, said Arizona Democrat Sen. Ruben Gallego, a Marine Corps vet.