James PackardDuring a rally in Tennessee Monday, President Donald Trump started touting his record and that of his party's. He started talking about veterans' benefits, when he said this:
"We just passed choice. That was 44 years, they've been trying to pass choice," he said. "They've been trying to pass that one for many many decades. They couldn't do it. We got it passed."
The president is talking about the bill dubbed "Veterans Choice." It sent government money to pay for private health care if a veteran had to wait too long for an appointment at a VA facility or if they lived too far away.
Congress passed a new version of it in June, but it was originally passed in 2014 under President Barack Obama. Trump leaves entirely the wrong impression by suggesting it was just passed and previous administrations couldn't get it done.
As for the "44 years" thing, it's not clear what the president was talking about. Choice was spurred by the 2014 scandal of long waits at VA health facilities. That was four years ago.
