Sen. Bernie Sanders The Republican position on the Department of Veterans Affairs continues to be that while the United States can certainly afford—or deficit spend to pay for—wars, when it comes to caring for the veterans of those wars, it's budget-cutting time. And, being Republicans, they're refusing compromise. House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chair Jeff Miller blew off a compromise plan from Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chair Bernie Sanders by trying to jump straight to a conference committee meeting: Sanders said Miller had unilaterally called the conference meeting to unveil a “take-it-or-leave-it gambit.” “This is a sad indication that the House leadership is not serious about negotiations,” Sanders said.