Veterans benefited from the bill being extended back to the House floor after recess
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Supporters of a sweeping veterans package described as the largest expansion of veterans’ health care and benefits in more than a decade are expected to return to the House floor when lawmakers return from a July recess, but supporters warn that the legislation could once again be a commitment blow to the Republican standoff over the SAVE America Act.
The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act eliminates about 60 bills for veterans in a package that would dramatically increase health care and veterans’ benefits. At its core, this legislation will strengthen veterans’ access to public care outside the VA while increasing benefits for combat-wounded veterans, caregivers and Gold Star families, expanding mental health services and making many other reforms.
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., told Fox News Digital that he intends to bring the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act back up for a vote as soon as the House reconvenes next week.
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 17: Eugene Simpson, 29, of Dale City, Virginia undergoes physical therapy at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, DC with Michael Minor, a kinesiotherapist with the United States Department of Military Affairs on March 17, 2006 in Washington, DC, USA. (Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images) (Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images)
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The legislation was suspended last month after House Republicans joined with Democrats to defeat a procedural vote, preventing the House from taking up the bill.
“I feel good as long as my members stay with us by law,” said Bost. “Right now there is politics at play, not with this bill, but in general.”
The bill is at odds with a broader House Republican fight over the SAVE America Act, a law championed by President Donald Trump that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
On June 30, the House voted for H. Res. 1398, a procedural law that governs the floor review of several bills, including the National Defense Authorization Act and the American Veterans Care Act. The legislation failed after 14 Republicans joined opposition Democrats, preventing the House from taking the veterans package and suspending business. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said she voted against the House leadership’s SAVE America Act. Because of this, House Speaker Mike Johnson sent members home early.
Bost blamed the lobbyists for effectively stopping the veterans’ act.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs building is seen in Washington, DC, on July 22, 2019. (Photo by Alastair Pike / AFP) (Photo credit should read ALASTAIR PIKE/AFP via Getty Images) (Photo credit should read ALASTAIR PIKE/AFP via Getty Image)
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“They hold all the bills,” Bost said. “They don’t vote for any law. Any bill that has to pass before it gets to the floor – which this bill does because of its size – you can’t move.”
Although Bost said he supports the SAVE America Act and has voted for it three times, he said the Senate’s failure to act should not stop the House from advancing unrelated legislation.
“I agree with that bill,” Bost said. “But the Senate still has to do its job. We are not stopping our work because the Senate is not doing it.”
With 23 legislative days left in the Congressional session, Concerned Veterans for America Strategic Director John Byrnes, a sponsor of the bill, said time is of the essence.
“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Byrnes told Fox News Digital. “There is also the National Defense Authorization Act, which must be passed every year, so these things take time. There are requirements to have a debate on these, which take up the time of the meeting.”
Byrnes argued that every delay in the process pushes more legislation down the calendar.
“This bill will save lives in 2027,” Byrnes said. “If we lose veterans because they could have faster, better access to health care, we’re not going to get those veterans back.”
Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill. ()
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But Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who also voted no on the procedural vote, told Fox News Digital he has concerns about how the bill is being funded.
“I appreciate what the chairman is trying to do in one way or another, but there are a few problems,” said Roy.
Among them, Roy outlined provisions that fix new spending changes that affect some veterans.
“You’re charging certain veterans to provide some type of benefits and changes to other veterans,” Roy said. “There are concerns about other payments.”
Veterans of Foreign Wars also opposed Section 108 of the bill, warning that it would include changes in future disability rates for tinnitus and sleep apnea to help fund other priorities for veterans.
But Bost said this is wrong.
“No veteran will have their benefits reduced,” said Bost. “If you’re getting a profit right now, that won’t be discounted at all.”
Roy, who served for two years on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said he supports much of what the bill seeks to accomplish; but he said other parts of the law are important, too.
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“There’s our key piece on border security, the SAVE Act and showing our leadership on the big issues,” Roy said. “Some of these other bills may or may not be suspended due to the desire of many in the conference to see movement in other matters.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Luna’s office and the White House for comment.
