Bachmann drops vets' disability cut plan

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., said Friday she has dropped a plan to cut benefits from some disabled veterans.

Bachmann, the head of the House Tea Party caucus and one of the most conservative members of Congress, still lists on her Web site a freeze on spending for veterans' healthcare, a proposal that has angered veterans groups, The Army Times reported. But a proposed cut in VA benefits for disabled veterans also collecting Social Security Disability payments is no longer listed there.

"The problem of government spending must be solved, but not on the backs of our nation's war heroes," Bachmann said in the statement. "I have always been a proud supporter of the United States military and I continue to stand with our veterans."

Bachmann has said the aim of her suggested cuts, totaling $400 billion, is to avoid having to raise the debt ceiling over its current level of $14.3 trillion without raising taxes. About 80 percent of the federal budget goes to defense spending, entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and debt service.