Veterans benefits expansion bill heads back to House floor after recess
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The sweeping veterans package, which supporters describe as the largest expansion of veterans’ health care and benefits in more than a decade, is expected to return to the House when lawmakers return from their July recess, but supporters warn the legislation could once again become collateral damage in Republicans’ impasse over the Save America Act.
The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act brings together nearly 60 veterans bills in a package that would significantly increase veterans’ health care and benefits. At its core, the legislation would strengthen veterans’ access to community care outside the VA, increase benefits for combat-injured veterans, caregivers and Gold Star families, expand mental health services and enact dozens of additional reforms.
House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., told Fox News Digital that he plans to bring the Taking Care of America’s Veterans Act back to the vote as soon as the House reconvenes next week.
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 17: Eugene Simpson, 29, of Dale City, Virginia, receives physical therapy at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, DC with Michael Minor, a kinesiotherapist with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, on March 17, 2006 in Washington, DC, USA. (Photo: Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images) (Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images)
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The legislation was suspended last month after a group of House Republicans joined Democrats to block a procedural vote, blocking the House from taking up the bill.
“As long as my members stay with us according to the rules, I feel good,” Bost said. “There are some policies being played out right now, not about this bill, but in general.”
The bill is embroiled in a broader fight in the House of Representatives over the SAVE America Act, legislation backed by President Donald Trump that requires proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
On June 30, the House voted on H. Res. 1398, the procedural rule governing the hearing’s consideration of various bills, including the National Defense Authorization Act and the Care for America’s Veterans Act. The rule failed when 14 Republicans joined Democrats in opposition, blocking the House from passing the veterans package and bringing field work to a halt. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., claimed she voted against the rules vote in protest of House leadership’s handling of the RELIEVE America Act. As a result, House Speaker Mike Johnson sent members home early.
Bost blamed the disputes for effectively suspending the veterans law.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs building is seen in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2019. (Photo: Alastair Pike / AFP) (Photo credit should be ALASTAIR PIKE/AFP via Getty Images) (Photo credit should be ALASTAIR PIKE/AFP via Getty Image)
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“They’re holding all the bills hostage,” Bost said. “They don’t vote on any rules. Any bill that has to pass before a bill can get to the floor — which this bill does because of its size — can’t be moved.”
Although Bost said he supports the SAVE America Act and voted in favor of it three times, he argued that the Senate’s lack of action should not prevent the House from advancing unrelated legislation.
“I agree with this bill,” Bost said. “But the Senate still needs to do its job. We’re not stopping our work just because the Senate isn’t doing it.”
With 23 legislative days left in the congressional session, America Strategic Director John Byrnes, who supports the bill, said time is of the essence.
“There are a lot of things that need to be done,” Byrnes told Fox News Digital. “There’s also the National Defense Authorization Act that has to be passed every year, so those types of things consume time. There are requirements that require debate, and that consumes session time.”
Byrnes argued that each procedural delay pushes other legislation further back on the calendar.
“This bill will save lives in 2027,” Byrnes said. “If we lose veterans because they could have had faster and better access to health care, we will never get those veterans back.”
Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill. ( )
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But Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who voted no on the procedural vote, told Fox News Digital he had concerns about how the bill was funded.
“I appreciate what the president is trying to do in some ways, but there are a few problems,” Roy said.
Among them, Roy noted provisions that offset new spending through changes that affect other veterans.
“You’re taxing some veterans to provide some benefits and changes to other veterans,” Roy said. “There are concerns about some payments.”
Veterans of Foreign Wars also objected to the bill’s Section 108, warning that it would codify changes to future disability ratings for tinnitus and sleep apnea to help fund other veterans’ priorities.
But Bost said that was wrong.
“No veteran will have their benefits reduced,” Bost said. “If you’re getting help right now, it’s not going to decrease at all.”
Roy, who previously served two years on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said he supports many of the things the bill seeks to accomplish; but he said other pieces of legislation also take priority.
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“We have a segment of our population for whom border security, the SAVE Act, and demonstrating our leadership on important issues are critical,” Roy said. “Some of these other bills may or may not be put on hold because of the desire of many in the conference to see action on other issues.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Luna’s office and the White House for comment.
