WASHINGTON — With the August break around the corner, Congress remains locked in a battle over how much to spend reshaping the tattered Veterans Affairs Department.

Even though the House and Senate overwhelmingly approved separate bills in June to speed up veterans’ access to care, they have been unable to bridge differences over the price tag.

Originally the House bill called for $44 billion to be spent on an overhaul and the Senate version budgeted $35 billion, according to estimates by the Congressional Budget Office. Under the latest proposals, House Republicans are offering $10 billion in emergency funding, and Senate Democrats want $25 billion.

With tempers flaring and talks stalled, it remained unclear whether the legislation would pass in the few working days left before the break.

Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the top negotiator on the House side, called a meeting Thursday of the joint conference committee to resolve the differences, but Democrats called the session a sham. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the Senate’s chief arbiter, refused to attend and criticized Republicans for what he said was their “take it or leave it” attitude.

“We have put good-faith offers on the table time and time again, and we have tried to meet our Republican colleagues more than halfway,” Sanders said on the Senate floor. “Our veterans deserve a responsible solution.”

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has said it would be “obscene” if Congress left without reaching a decision. “I beg my colleagues to sit down and let’s work this out,” McCain said.

Under the House and Senate proposals, veterans would be able to go to private, non-VA physicians if they were in need of immediate medical care. The emergency funds also allow the VA to hire additional doctors.