July 18 (Bloomberg) — Negotiations in Congress over how to finance medical care for military veterans are stalled although Republicans and Democrats say completing a deal before next month is a top priority.

Talks between the House and Senate, already moving slowly, were further disrupted when President Barack Obama's acting head of the Veterans Affairs Department told lawmakers July 16 the agency needs another 10,000 workers and an additional $17.6 billion through 2017.

"We were moving along and all of the sudden this additional piece came out, and it kind of slowed it down," Representative Michael Michaud, the top Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said in an interview yesterday. "That kind of surprised us."

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