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Mike Bost

Republican

“I want this bill to pass so the government can claim it is helping veterans. It will change many laws. I want the House to pass it now.”

Mike Bost

Republican

“I want this bill to pass. It will change many laws to help veterans. The government should spend money to give more benefits to veterans and their families. I am a veteran. Veterans served our country. America made a promise to them. This bill will deliver on that promise. It will improve healthcare and benefits. Veterans need more money. They are disabled. They need more healthcare. Veterans should get healthcare in their own communities. This bill will improve vocational training and modernize the VA. It will expand benefits. The bill is paid for by changing how VA rates some conditions. No benefits will be cut. Savings from these changes will fund new benefits. I don't want the money to go back to big government. I want the money to go to veterans. This bill is good for veterans. Veterans groups agree.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, H.R. 9237, the Take Care of America's Veterans Act. As a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, for me, this bill is personal. When a young man or woman raises their right hand and agrees to serve this country, America makes a promise. That promise does not end when a servicemember is wounded. It is my goal--and the goal of my friend, Senator Jerry Moran--to deliver on that promise. This bill would be one of the most comprehensive veteran packages considered by Congress in a decade. This bill includes more than 60 bipartisan provisions that would improve healthcare, benefits, operations, and accountability across the VA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell you more about some of those important provisions. One is the Major Richard Star Act. For decades, medically retired, combat-injured veterans have had their military retirement offset dollar-for-dollar by their VA disability. While some disabled veterans who served 20 years receive both, there are tens of thousands of combat-injured veterans who currently do not. Many combat- injured veterans would have served longer if their injuries had not taken that opportunity from them. H.R. 9237 would help end that injustice. It would end that offset for combat-injured veterans, allowing them to receive both benefits up to what a 20-year retiree with the same disabilities would receive. Members on both sides of the aisle and veterans service organizations support this and have for years. A press release, a handshake, or a discharge petition does not end the wounded warrior tax. This bill will. The Love Lives On Act is another important provision included in this bill. Currently, surviving spouses lose their benefits if they remarry before age 55, but those benefits were earned by their spouse's sacrifice for this country. The Love Lives On Act would allow surviving spouses to remarry at any age. Another important provision in this bill is the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act. This bill would provide long-awaited increases to catastrophically disabled veterans and surviving spouses. Eric was 25 years old when an IED left him with a fractured spine and a traumatic brain injury. H.R. 9237 would increase benefits for catastrophically disabled veterans like Eric by $10,000 a year. It would also increase benefits for surviving spouses. These American families have not seen a meaningful increase in decades. Mr. Speaker, this bill also includes the Veterans' ACCESS Act. Veterans should be able to access healthcare in their own communities. Too many veterans still face delays, confusion, and barriers when trying to use VA community care. This bill would also improve mental health care and community-based suicide prevention. A veteran's healthcare should be driven by the veteran's needs, not by government control. H.R. 9237 would improve education benefits and vocational training to help veterans transition into civilian life. It would modernize the VA's claims and appeals process so veterans have a system that works for them. It would streamline the way VA handles construction, leasing, contracting, IT, and finances. The Take Care of America's Veterans Act would expand benefits and push VA to do better. Mr. Speaker, I also want to address how this bill is funded, as I have heard a lot of misinformation about this point. H.R. 9237 would codify VA's own pending regulation on how to evaluate sleep apnea and tinnitus' effect on a veteran's workplace earnings. This regulation was proposed by the Biden-era VA in 2022, created by VA's team of doctors and researchers. It was part of VA's efforts to modernize its disability rating schedule created in the 1940s. President Biden's Under Secretary for Benefits, Josh Jacobs, testified in favor of these changes at his confirmation hearing. Earlier this year, VA's executive director of compensation confirmed plans to finalize these changes this year. These are not new ideas, and there is nothing unprecedented about this. This bill would not eliminate disability ratings for sleep apnea or tinnitus. It would not automatically reduce any veteran's current disability rating. Future veterans with sleep apnea will still get treatment through VA healthcare, but if a CPAP eliminates your symptoms, VA would compensate you less. Currently, the amount of compensation for sleep apnea is often more than the amount that a veteran receives if they lose a limb. This change is just common sense. It is why VA has worked hard to propose changes like these, which reflect modern medicine. For tinnitus, VA has found it is best understood as a symptom of another condition such as hearing loss or TBI. Under the proposed change, tinnitus would still be rated as part of another underlying condition. This is not about denying these conditions exist. Let's be clear. This is not cutting benefits. No one will lose their benefits who are receiving them. It is about making sure the VA rating schedule follows modern science and using those savings to fund the expansion of benefits and other VA programs. Mr. Speaker, if we don't pass H.R. 9237 today, VA can make these rating changes as planned but the savings would go back to one place: Big Government. I want those savings to go instead into the pockets and the benefits for millions of veterans and their families. Mr. Speaker, as a United States Marine Corps veteran, you can bet your bottom dollar that I believe that this bill would not harm a single veteran, and I would not bring it forward to this floor if I thought it would. Veterans do not need a bill that makes Members feel good for a day and then dies in the Senate. They need legislation that can pass. Mr. Speaker, veterans groups agree. I include in the Record a letter from 20 different veterans organizations in support of this legislation.

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Mike Bost

Republican 9:20 a.m.

“I want this veterans bill to pass. Many veterans groups agree with me. They all want this bill to pass. We worked hard on this bill. We want it to help many veterans. I think we did a good job. The bill asks a simple question. Do we support veterans and their families? My answer is yes. I support veterans. I want my colleagues to support the bill.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, veterans groups from The American Legion to the Wounded Warrior Project support this bill. Survivor groups like the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors support this bill. Caregiver organizations, like the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, support this bill. They all want this bill to pass. Chairman Moran and I have worked for months to try to enact a law that will help the greatest number of veterans. I believe we have offered that kind of package today. I want to take a moment to share what we have heard directly from veterans. Mission Roll Call, a national nonpartisan organization dedicated to serving veterans and their families, recently conducted a survey on my bill. They found 71 percent of veterans support the bill. I think that is a clear choice. Mr. Speaker, as our Nation observes its 250th birthday, H.R. 9237 asks a simple question: Do we have veterans' backs? Do we have the backs of fellow Americans who raise their right hand to serve in defense of this great country, the Gold Star families who carry the cost of their loved one's sacrifice, or caregivers who every single day care for a disabled veteran family member? For me, the answer will always be ``yes,'' both during service and after. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support the Take Care of America's Veterans Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mark Takano

Democrat 9:20 a.m.

“I don't want this veterans bill to pass. It cuts benefits for some veterans to pay for others. I think that is wrong. The bill is very long. It has many parts I don't like. Many veterans groups also don't like this bill. They think it is wrong to take from some veterans to give to others. I agree with them. There are some good things in the bill. But I don't like the bad things. So I don't support the bill. I think the other side only wants to cut veteran benefits. They spend a lot of money on other things. But they say we need to cut veteran benefits. I don't understand why. I don't think they should do that.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 9237. It is a beautiful day here in Washington, D.C., but Republicans are casting a dark cloud over all of us and especially over America's veterans. We have before us today a bill that, despite its name, does the exact opposite of taking care of veterans. It enshrines into law the largest cut to veterans' benefits ever in the history of this Nation. The premise of this bill is that some veterans must be made worse off in order to make others better off. Mr. Speaker, I reject that premise, I reject this bill, and I encourage others to do the same. Here is the core issue: The majority treats veterans as a zero-sum game: cut disability pay for some to find benefits for others. That is not governing. That is rationing suffering among our Nation's heroes. With this bill, the majority would, for the first time ever, have Congress interfere in the scientific process that the determines veterans' disability ratings, overriding the expertise of medical professionals at the Department of Veterans Affairs. I respect that Chairman Bost is a military veteran, but he is not a medical professional. The majority, for the first time ever, would have us cut tens of billions of dollars from veteran disability compensation to pay for the Department of Defense obligations. This is absolutely unconscionable. Consider the math. Republicans are discussing nearly $70 billion in new Pentagon spending without offsets. They vote enthusiastically for $1.5 trillion in annual defense budgets. Yet, they insist on paying for veterans' priorities by cutting benefits with the two most common service-connected conditions. Apparently, there is no problem sending veterans the bill for the wars that Congress funds. This is a massive 600-page bill--crafted behind closed doors and brought to the floor without careful consideration--packed with harmful provisions designed to boost a few vulnerable Members' electoral prospects. Mr. Speaker, for those reasons and many, many more, I cannot in good conscience support this legislation. More important than my opposition is the opposition of the very people whom the majority claims to help, the veterans themselves. Over 30 Veteran Service Organizations and advocates oppose this legislation, including many of the largest, like the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and numerous others. They know that reaching into the pockets of one set of veterans to provide for another is morally wrong. Creating tiers of veterans based on their period of service and treating tomorrow's veterans worse than today's is morally wrong. They will not stand for it, and neither should we. In addition to the numerous VSOs and over two dozen labor unions opposed to this bill, including the Union of Veterans Council, American Federation of Government Employees, and AFL-CIO, so do professional associations like the American Psychological Association and the Nurses Organization of VA. They all recognize the devastating effect this legislation will have on VA's workforce and their ability to deliver high-quality care. Even the Mortgage Bankers Association has expressed opposition to this bill. The majority has decided that, during a housing affordability crisis, it makes sense to raise costs on struggling veteran homeowners who are desperately trying to avoid foreclosure. This package contains multiple harmful provisions. It would accelerate the privatization of veteran healthcare--creating new grant programs for private providers that divert resources from VA mental health and PTSD programs--and steer veterans into more expensive community-based care, even where VA services remain available, and strip VA psychologists of their collective bargaining rights. This bill also contains numerous sections opposed by key stakeholders, like Student Veterans of America, Veterans Education Success, and the American Federation of Teachers, that would direct GI Bill funding toward low-quality, for-profit, unaccredited online programs. This bill contains provisions that would allow GI benefits to be used for online welding courses. Can you believe it? Explain to me how you can teach someone online how to weld. Inexplicably, H.R. 9237 even includes a $500 million IT slush fund that VA will use to enrich contractors and reward the President's cronies. The list goes on and on. We are going to hear arguments from the majority today about all the good things this bill attempts to do. If we exist in a vacuum, I would say that I agree. There are parts of this bill with broad bipartisan support: long overdue increases to dependency and indemnity compensation and a special monthly compensation, for example. We do not exist in isolation here, and we must take the bill as the total sum of its parts, especially since the majority has blocked amendments to this bill, as they have done so often in this Congress. Regrettably, we will also hear the chairman say that cutting veterans' benefits is the only way that we can get them done. This is patently false, and the chairman knows it. Everyone in this Chamber knows it, and everyone in America knows it, as well. There are any number of other places we can find money for these priorities. We don't lack money around here. What is in short supply, at least on the other side of the aisle, is the political will to use some of it on behalf of America's veterans. There is $1.5 trillion for the Department of Defense, $70 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, and hundreds of millions of dollars for permanent tax cuts for the wealthy, none of it offset, and all of which the chairman voted for enthusiastically. Just 10 days of President Trump's folly in Iran would pay for 10 years of benefits under the Major Richard Star Act. Let me say that again. Just 10 days of President Trump's folly in Iran would pay for 10 years of benefits under the Major Richard Star Act. The question we have before us today is this: Why do you insist on offsets now? Why only now when we are trying to do work on behalf of our Nation's veterans do you care about the deficit? Why are Republicans holding veterans' priorities hostage, including the overwhelming top priority of veterans, the Major Richard Star Act, in exchange for multibillion-dollar cuts to veterans' benefits? That is a mystery to me, and it is a question that Chairman Bost and Republicans will struggle to answer, as well. I will point to this chart here. Mr. Speaker, let me finish with a quote from just one veteran in opposition to this legislation: ``I am a disabled Michigan veteran and lifelong conservative. Please pass the Major Richard Star Act as a stand-alone bill. We do not support the Take Care of America's Veterans Act, H.R. 9237, and we will never elect Representatives who want to cut veterans' benefits. How could Republicans propose this.'' I couldn't have said it any better, and there are thousands more comments just like this as you can see here. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mike Bost

Republican 9:30 a.m.

“The other guy said I am not a doctor. I am not. But the changes to veterans' benefits were made by doctors. The VA wants to change how it gives benefits. They are going to do it. The real question is who controls the money saved. I want Congress to control it. Not VA bureaucrats. I say this bill is good for veterans. You should support it. The other side just wants to play politics. They don't care about doing what is right for veterans.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the ranking member knows VA has an obligation to update disability conditions based on the latest science and medicine. In his opening, he said that I am not a doctor. He is right. I am a marine. I am a truck driver, and somehow I have been blessed to serve our veterans as the chairman of the committee. He is not a doctor either. Likewise, he has been blessed by his community to be here, but what I do want to say is, for the record, the proposed changes for sleep apnea and tinnitus aren't developed by Congress. They were developed by VA physicians. They are doctors--medical experts, doctors--and researchers under the Biden administration as part of the ongoing disability rating modernization efforts. In testimony before the House Veterans' Affairs Committee in January 2026, VA officials stated that the Department intended to continue moving forward with respiratory ear-body system, rulemaking, and anticipated completing those efforts by the end of year 2026. That testimony was not given by career staff acting alone. In fact, just this morning, VA officials confirmed that they are planning to move forward with the proposed rule on sleep apnea and tinnitus. The testimony represents the official position of the Department at the time it was delivered to Congress. The question before us is not whether Congress created these proposed changes. We did not. VA's announcement makes their intention clear. This is moving forward regardless, but Ranking Member Takano would rather play politics. The question is whether the savings associated with the proposed deployment and changes by the VA should remain in their control and the bureaucrats' control, or do we make it through our Article I power to reinvest into our veterans and their families. H.R. 9237 chooses veterans. Mr. Speaker, I ask you to look at the testimony of Josh Jacobs, Biden Under Secretary for Benefits, and Nina Tann, President Trump's Executive Director of the Compensation Service at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Taylor), a good friend.

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David J. Taylor

Republican 9:30 a.m.

“I want this veterans bill to pass. It will spend more money on veterans benefits. That is good. Our country is great because of veterans. We should spend more money on them. Veterans and their families deserve more money from the government. I want to vote for this bill. You should vote for it too. It is our job to support veterans. This bill will spend more money on them. I think that is good. We should pass it.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Bost for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Take Care of America's Veterans Act. America's veterans represent the best our country has to offer, and it is time for Congress to deliver meaningful reforms to our veterans' benefit programs that improve the quality of life for America's warfighters. That is why I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the Take Care of America's Veterans Act, which will modernize and enhance the delivery of VA benefits for veterans across our country. As we continue to celebrate America's 250th anniversary, it is important that we realize that freedom is not free, and we wouldn't have this amazing country without the sacrifices of countless servicemembers and their families. Now is the time to reaffirm Congress' support of our veteran community and put veterans first by passing this legislation. I am particularly proud that this legislation includes the expansion of GI Bill benefits, increases benefits for severely disabled veterans and their families, and ends the wounded veterans tax, thanks to the inclusion of the Major Richard Star Act. These reforms are long overdue, and I applaud Chairman Bost and the work of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee for their role in crafting this legislation. This bill upholds the promise we made to our Nation's veterans that upon completion of their service, we would take care of them and their families. It is our duty as temporary caretakers of our Republic to fight for those who keep us safe, and veterans are at the top of that list. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of southern Ohio, I thank all our veterans and their families for the countless sacrifices they have made to keep our Nation safe. This vote is for them. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill.

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Mark Takano

Democrat 9:30 a.m.

“I don't want to cut veterans' benefits. That's bad. I want to spend more money on veterans. I want the government to keep studying this. I don't like the other side's bill. It's bad. I want to keep spending more on veterans. I think that's good. The other side is wrong. I want to fight them.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the chairman has said several times that the disability changes this bill makes are coming anyway. That is simply not true. He is counting on a golden egg that the VA has simply not laid yet. The first Trump administration floated changes to conditions like sleep apnea and tinnitus beginning in 2019. Then 4 years ago, when VA sought public comment on a notice of proposed rulemaking, the 2022 changes during the Biden administration, VSOs and many Members of this body spoke loudly and clearly and unanimously in opposition to them, and what he doesn't mention is that the Biden administration walked away from those proposed rule changes. The VA listened to those voices in 2022, and as a result, the proposed rule has been on a shelf since then. Just a few short weeks ago, VA clarified that it is not planning to take any action on this proposed rule. That was from a VA spokesperson in public. There is nothing inevitable about these rule changes, which are going to bring about the golden egg of savings, the $57 billion that the chairman is counting on in order to pay for this bill. The savings will come from cuts to veterans disability benefits. Their tweet that he is referring to this morning quoting an unnamed source is not the same as rulemaking. This is simply the majority trying to find any excuse possible to cut benefits they view as overly generous, which has long been their goal. That is why Americans for Prosperity has endorsed this bill. The architects of Project 2025 have been desperate to cut benefits for years, and they have been trying to find a way to touch veterans benefits. I am not going to let them do that. They even showed up at the majority's press conference to cheer on their efforts just a few short days ago, and now they finally have a majority who is willing to bow to their demands to harm veterans. My majority counterparts have picked an interesting time to care about science again. Their remarks today attempt to demonstrate that they are working to align themselves with the best science to update and modernize the disability ratings schedule. Yet, my majority colleagues fail to see the irony in legislating away veteran benefits before VA completes a thorough review of the best science. They are substituting their own judgment for that of VA clinicians and researchers who actually understand the medical evidence related to these disabilities. If this bill is passed, the expertise of VA and the years of work that go into clinical determinations become moot. If you don't believe me, just listen to what one of VA's top doctors, former VA Secretary and Under Secretary for Health David Shulkin, stated regarding this bill's proposed changes to disability ratings: ``Any modernization of the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities should be instead conducted through an independent, evidence-based medical review led by the Department of Veterans Affairs, with opportunities for public comment and congressional oversight. Any savings resulting from that process should be reinvested in improving disability evaluations, rehabilitation services, and veterans' healthcare--not used to finance unrelated provisions of the legislation.'' If my colleagues are suddenly interested in following that science, they should let the experts continue their work independently without the political pressure that passage of this bill will inevitably create. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood), my good friend. She is a former member of this committee who currently serves on the House Committee on Appropriations.

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Lauren Underwood

Democrat 9:40 a.m.

“I want more spending on a program for moms and babies. Breastfeeding is good. Veteran moms should have good places to breastfeed at VA medical centers. Some centers don't have good spaces for that now. That's bad. My bill will make them have good spaces.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the Lactation Spaces for Veteran Moms Act. Serving veterans is one of the greatest privileges we have as Members of Congress, and we must do everything that we can to ensure not only that they receive the benefits that they have earned through their service and sacrifice, but also that they can access those benefits with the dignity that they deserve. That is why I am so proud to lead the bipartisan Lactation Spaces for Veteran Moms Act with Congresswoman Ashley Hinson. As a nurse, I have seen firsthand the benefits of breastfeeding for moms and babies. My bill will ensure that every VA medical center contains a clean, private space specifically designed for nursing and pumping. Our veterans and their families have given so much in service to our country, and they deserve the same level of support and respect when they seek care. For VA medical centers to meet the needs of young families, caregivers, and our hardworking VA employees, they need to be equipped with proper facilities. In the VA medical centers that lack a dedicated lactation space, moms are forced to use unsanitary places like bathrooms or struggle to find a private corner. That is unacceptable. Our veterans deserve better. That is why we must pass the Lactation Spaces for Veteran Moms Act now.

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Mike Bost

Republican 9:40 a.m.

“I want to disagree with the other side. I want to say they are wrong and I am right. I want to talk about my bill. It will get more money for the government.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I don't think that the ranking member is caught up on current events. Just recently, just to confirm what we already knew, the VA officials confirmed that they are moving ahead with the changes on tinnitus, sleep apnea, and disability benefits. VA has made no move to withdraw the sleep apnea and/or those from the changes that will then save the money that then the bureaucrats will control. So as we are moving forward--I mean, the ranking member can keep saying things that aren't true, or he can admit this is an issue, and that is where we are coming up with the revenue. That being said, let me tell you the next person I want to yield time to has worked on the Major Richard Star Act for years, as did his father before him. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), the Representative from Florida's 12th District.

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Gus M. Bilirakis

Republican 9:40 a.m.

“I like this bill. It will help some veterans. They should get money. I want to pass this bill. I thank my friend for helping pass this bill.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership and thank him for this great package that will support our veterans. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Take Care of America's Veterans Act. First and foremost, this legislation delivers long-overdue justice by including key provisions of my Major Richard Star Act. I promised Richard Star that we would get this done, and we are in the process of doing it, again, on behalf of our true American heroes, which I remain committed to achieving full concurrent receipt. Anything that is not included in this bill, we are going to pursue for the benefit of our veterans. This package takes a major step forward by providing immediate relief to nearly 60,000 combat-injured veterans, Mr. Speaker. For far too long, medically retired servicemembers wounded in combat have been forced to forfeit a portion of the retirement pay they earned simply because they also receive VA disability compensation, and that is wrong. That is the so-called wounded veteran tax, and it is fundamentally unjust. These men and women sacrificed their health in defense of our Nation. They earned both benefits, and they deserve to receive both. This legislation also strengthens veterans' access to healthcare by expanding choice, improves the VA claims and appeals process, and increases support for catastrophically disabled veterans, caregivers, and surviving spouses. Republicans have been working on these issues for many years, Mr. Speaker, and it looks like it is going to come to fruition. I appreciate it so very much, and I thank the chairman for his leadership. It enhances mental health services, expands care in rural communities, improves transition assistance for servicemembers entering civilian life, and modernizes VA facilities to better serve future generations.

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Gus M. Bilirakis

Republican 9:40 a.m.

“I want to honor my friend. He fought for this bill. He is not here now. But we will pass this bill. It will help some veterans.”

Mark Takano

Democrat 9:40 a.m.

“I want to show you that some groups don't like this bill. I have letters from these groups. They don't want this bill to pass.”

Mark Takano

Democrat 9:40 a.m.

“You said the VA will change disability ratings. I want you to tell me who at the VA said that. Tell me the name.”

Mark Takano

Democrat 9:40 a.m.

“You say the VA Secretary will make big cuts. I don't believe you. He backed down before when people complained. I want you to prove what you say.”

Mark Takano

Democrat 9:50 a.m.

“I don't believe you. Show me a name. You can't. I think you want to cut veterans' benefits. That's not right. I defy you.”

Christopher R. Deluzio

Democrat 9:50 a.m.

“I don't like this bill. It cuts benefits for veterans. It makes their home loans more expensive. It gives more care to the private sector. I don't want that. I don't want to cut care or benefits for veterans. The people who support this bill spend a lot on war. They gave tax breaks to the rich. It added to the debt. Now they want to cut benefits for veterans. That's not right. I want to send this bill back to committee. I want to change the bill. I don't want to cut benefits. I want to use unspent money from a different bill instead.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill. I rise in opposition to any effort to cut veterans' benefits. Let's be clear. This bill raises the cost of the VA Home Loan Program during a housing crisis, and this program and this bill cuts VA benefits for current veterans who don't have them and for troops downrange right now for two of the most common conditions they may experience: sleep apnea and tinnitus. This bill sells off more VA and veterans' care to the private sector. It continues the privatization push of the Trump administration and so many congressional Republicans. I am not going to take a lecture on fiscal responsibility or accept this argument from the Republicans and the Trump administration that you have to fund veterans' programs by cutting care or benefits for other veterans. The same people who have funded an Iran war at the tune of billions and billions of dollars, the same people who added nearly $5 trillion to the debt through their One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which, by the way, has a new name now, I guess. We have lost track of that. That new bill, by the way, would also add $19 trillion over 30 years. Mr. Speaker, there is no problem on the Republican side with adding to the debt when it comes time to give tax breaks and tax giveaways to the ultrarich and to corporations, but when it comes time to care of veterans, now they are counting pennies. Let's be crystal clear about what this bill does. It says to troops downrange right now who are in harm's way that they have to have worse benefits than veterans have today to pay for benefits and care that other veterans have earned. That is ridiculous. It is why groups like the VFW, the IAVA, and others oppose this bill. It is why I think Democrats and Republicans should oppose this bill on the floor today. For this reason and many others, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House Rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an amendment to this bill. The amendment would change the offsets used in the bill. Instead of reducing the VA home loan benefit and cutting disability benefits for sleep apnea and tinnitus, it takes unobligated, appropriated but not committed, funding given to the DOD in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and uses it as a pay-for.

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Tom Barrett

Republican 9:50 a.m.

“I want this bill to pass. It will help veterans. It has many parts. Many people support it. It has parts from me. It helps disabled veterans. It helps Gold Star families. It helps the National Guard. It took a long time to write. We worked hard on it. I want everyone to vote yes.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Take Care of America's Veterans Act. This package includes more than 60 bipartisan bills that modernize, enhance, and reform the delivery of healthcare and benefits for the entire veteran community. It also delivers numerous bills that veterans and VSOs across America have been vocal about, like the Major Richard Star Act, the Love Lives On Act, the ACCESS Act, the TAP Promotion and Expansion Act, and more. It also includes eight of my own specific bill priorities, including: The ASSIST Act and CRUISE Act, which will help disabled veterans and businesses make necessary and timely modifications to vehicles, ensuring that veterans have accessibility to move about. The Sharri Briley & Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act will finally deliver the first notable increase in over 30 years to our most severely disabled veterans and our Gold Star families who have sacrificed so much. My Clear Communication for Veterans Claims Act and my Delivering Digitally to Our Veterans Act, which will ensure that every veteran can understand the messages and communications they receive from the VA in a simplified manner and even opt in to get them electronically. My Veterans Community Care Scheduling Improvement Act, which will make it easier for veterans to schedule medical appointments closer to home and easier to access. The Acquisition Reform and Cost Assessment Act to strengthen oversight of VA acquisitions with the ginormous contracts that they often enter into. And, finally, my Home Affordability for Guard and Reserve Act to empower more of our National Guard and reservists to take advantage of the VA Home Loan Program. Today, they would wait 6 years to qualify for the VA Home Loan Program. Under this bill, they will qualify once they return home from their training and are in good standing with their unit. Mr. Speaker, I worked hard on these bills for nearly 2 years, and they and more than 50 other bipartisan bills just like them are all major wins that will improve the lives of our Nation's heroes. I thank Chairman Bost for his work on this legislation, and I look forward to the passage of this bill. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

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Mark Takano

Democrat 9:50 a.m.

“Many people don't want this bill. Veterans don't want this bill. It will cut benefits. I want to find another way to pay for it. We need to be brave and do what is right.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, there is overwhelming opposition to cutting veterans' disability benefits to offset the cost of this bill. Major VSOs, like the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, along with numerous others, all oppose this bill due to the offset. More importantly, veterans themselves are overwhelmingly opposed, as well. Check out any online veteran forum, and you will find thousands of comments from both veterans and Active-Duty servicemembers decrying these proposed cuts. Veterans of all eras agree that their receipt of benefits should not be predicated on cuts to benefits for another generation of veterans. It is our job to listen to them. There are other ways to fund this bill's provisions. We just need to have the political courage to stand up and do what is right for our veterans. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Menefee), my good friend who serves on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

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Christian D. Menefee

Democrat 9:50 a.m.

“I am against this bill. It will cut money for veterans. It is bad. The government should spend more money on veterans. They should stop spending money on war instead.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose H.R. 9237, which, if we are being clear, cuts veterans' benefits. The President and my colleagues on the Republican side in Congress have no problem sending our men and women off to war, but the real measure of a nation is not just how it treats their servicemembers when they are on Active Duty. It is how it treats them when they are no longer dodging the bombs, the bullets, and the storms at sea and when they are no longer serving in war. As a Congress, we have to do right by our veterans, and this bill simply does not do it with $57 billion in cuts for disability benefits for veterans. It raises home loan refinancing fees $4 billion on veteran borrowers. Mr. Speaker, I am the son of two veterans, and we would have never purchased our first home when I was in high school were it not for a VA home assistance loan. That is to say not just for me but for so many folks across the 18th Congressional District of Texas. I keep hearing my colleagues on the other side of the aisle saying that we have to find money to offset to be able to pay for some of the other benefits in this bill. Yet, if we are pinching pennies, let's tell the President to end his war in Iran, which has cost taxpayers billions and billions of dollars. It is time for this Congress to do right by our veterans. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote against H.R. 9237.

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Daniel Meuser

Republican 10:00 a.m.

“I want this bill to pass. Veterans should get their benefits. We should spend money on them. I don't like people who are against this bill. I want to say they are against veterans. This bill also gives money to a lot of groups. That is good. I don't want the government to take money from some veterans. I like when the government spends more money on veterans.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Bost for his leadership. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Take Care of America's Veterans Act. Our veterans answered the call to serve, sacrificed on behalf of this country, and defended the freedoms every American enjoys. They have earned a Department of Veterans Affairs that delivers the care, benefits, and support that they were promised without unnecessary delays or bureaucratic obstacles, and that includes community care, Mr. Speaker. That is one of the aversions and obstacles and reasons for opposition because Democrats are pretty much against community care initiatives. This bipartisan package brings together more than 60 commonsense proposals that truly make this happen. And by the way, it is supported by The American Legion, Military Officers Association of America, Wounded Warrior Project, Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Korean War Veterans Association, Vietnam Veterans of America, AMVETS, Gold Star Spouses of America, and the list goes on. Very importantly, it includes the Major Richard Star Act. Voting against this bill is voting against the Major Richard Star Act, which ends the unfair wounded veterans tax for eligible combat-injured retirees. These veterans were medically retired because their service was cut short by injuries sustained defending our country. They should not be forced to give up a portion of their military retirement pay simply because they also receive VA disability compensation. This bill corrects that injustice. It also strengthens access to community care, as mentioned, and mental health treatment. It allows military widows to remarry and maintain their benefits. It cuts through the VA red tape and strengthens the claims appeals processes. This is not about a cutting of benefits. It is about advancing services with some modernization initiatives, as well. We owe our veterans more than the words of gratitude. We owe them this action. We owe them the Take Care of America's Veterans Act.

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What they said. What they meant.

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Take Care of America's Veterans Act

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