Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki on Tuesday unveiled an ambitious five-year plan to end homelessness among the nation’s veterans who make up a comparatively large portion those living on the streets. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Shinseki, speaking at a VA summit in Washington, D.C., said the VA will spend $3.2 billion next year towards that goal and is working to strengthen partnerships with other government agencies and service organizations. “Even in tough economic times, this is still the wealthiest, most powerful nation in the world and no veteran should be living on the streets without care and without hope,” he said. The new initiative will focus both on preventing vets from ever going homeless and removing those already on the streets from that condition. (For more, see the Washington Post’s Nov. 4 report (requires free registration).
Back from a Thanksgiving week recess, the push to pass the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act hit another snag Nov. 29, as the Senate voted against ending debate on its version of the bill. At the same time, Congress is staring down a Dec. 3 expiration date for its continuing…