Mark Takano
Representative for California · Democratic · United States
“They should have to look in the eyes of our sailors who were on the USS Lincoln, our soldiers and our airmen and marines in the Middle East and tell them: Thank you for your service, but we are cutting your benefits.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“House Republicans' posture this week--our last week of session before an unexpected recess--is honestly symbolic of their posture with veterans in this Congress. At every turn, the majority has ensured that veterans were at the end of their priority list, from benefits-cutting legislation to canceled oversight hearings.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Our own estimates now put that figure in excess of 17,000 foreclosures. Let's review how we got here. The unprecedented crisis of COVID-19 required action from the VA to prevent the loss of hundreds of thousands of homes.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Billions of dollars are going to private industry on the backs of veterans serving our country. Oracle isn't the only company getting rich or richer while the rest of America struggles with rising healthcare costs, expensive groceries, and sky-high gas prices.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“However, last year, Secretary Collins, President Trump, and Elon Musk's DOGE abruptly ended the VASP program, giving veterans no notice that a critical lifeline for borrowers was being ripped away. The decision was for and celebrated by Chairman Bost and subcommittee Chairman Van Orden.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“This victory belongs to them, but our work is not over until the Major Richard Star Act is signed into law. We have come too far, built too much momentum, and brought together too powerful a coalition to stop now. We must force the majority to act.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
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“Tonight is proof that waiting isn't the only option. Democrats will keep pushing this House to prove, with votes and measurable actions, not just words--that this time is different. Mr. TAKANO: Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. ____________________”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Last night, the discharge petition for the Major Richard Star Act hit 218 signatures. A majority of this House, Democrats and Republicans together, said enough waiting. That petition is no longer a message. It's a mandate. Combat-injured veterans have earned the right to keep both their retirement pay and their disability compensation, and the House has now spoken. The only person standing between 59,000 veterans and that vote is the Speaker. But the Speaker has cancelled session until November 9th. Don't make these veterans wait another two months, for a vote on this bill. There is no procedural excuse left, no committee to wait on, no more signatures to chase. Mr. Speaker, schedule the vote. Not next month. Not when it's convenient. This week.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“I will continue to push back on needless policies that create housing insecurity for veteran families. If Chairman Bost and Congressman Van Orden were truly committed to ending veteran homelessness, they would be fighting next to me, but sadly they are sitting on the sidelines while veterans sleep on the streets. Madam Speaker, I've spent this past half hour walking through what this Majority has done--and hasn't done--for our veterans over the past two years. And I want to be clear about something: my Republican colleagues do not lack for words on this floor. They will tell you, and they will tell veterans, that they care. That veterans come first. That this Congress honors their service. But talk is cheap, and veterans know the difference between a press statement and real action. So, let's test it.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“The VA has refused to tell me how many of these families became at risk of homelessness due to their home foreclosure.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Yet, there has not been a single piece of legislation related to veteran homelessness brought to the House floor, nor a subcommittee hearing on the topic. In fact, the policies that Chairman Bost and Congressman Van Orden advocated actually produced more housing insecurity among veterans by ending VA home loan foreclosure protections. I have asked repeatedly how VA has helped these families who are facing foreclosure, but the Trump VA has refused to provide that information. I have gleaned what I can from available VA data, which shows a massive increase in the number of veterans using VA homelessness prevention services. Nearly 10,000 more veterans and their families were served this year through the VA Supportive Services for Veteran Families program of 2022.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“However, last year, Secretary Collins, President Trump, and Elon Musk's DOGE abruptly ended the VASP program, giving veterans no notice that a critical lifeline for borrowers was being ripped away. The decision was for and celebrated by Chairman Bost and subcommittee Chairman Van Orden. It is now 18 months since VASP was terminated, and still, veterans are unable to use the new replacement program. According to VA's own data from June, this has led to over 15,000 veteran foreclosures. Based on this current trend, we estimate that figure to have grown to over 17,000. Let me say that again: 17,000 veterans and their families have lost their homes because Secretary Collins, Chairman Bost, and, most of all, Chairman Van Orden decided to call for an end to the VASP program, unnecessarily. Industry estimates are even more dire.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Our own estimates now put that figure in excess of 17,000 foreclosures. Let's review how we got here. The unprecedented crisis of COVID-19 required action from the VA to prevent the loss of hundreds of thousands of homes. President Biden, with the support of Congress, used existing authorities to pause foreclosures that were occurring during the pandemic. Then, by the authorities granted by the National Disaster Declaration, the VA was able to implement a partial claims program, saving tens of thousands of veterans from losing their homes. That is what this chart shows, the plummeting number of foreclosures. Chairman Bost and Republicans repeatedly called for the termination of the U.S. National Emergency for COVID-19, which happened on April 11, 2023. This resulted in VA losing authorities to continue foreclosure mitigation.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“House Republicans' posture this week--our last week of session before an unexpected recess--is honestly symbolic of their posture with veterans in this Congress. At every turn, the majority has ensured that veterans were at the end of their priority list, from benefits-cutting legislation to canceled oversight hearings. Just months into the 119th Congress, Chairman Van Orden and Chairman Bost urged President Trump and Secretary Collins to end the most important foreclosure relief program for veterans. With no warning, no foresight, and no planning for what comes next, Secretary Collins pulled the plug on the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase program, known as VASP. The VA informed the committee that the decision sent over 15,000 veterans and their families into foreclosure and tens of thousands more at risk of losing their homes.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“I can't help but cynically wonder if the chairman is delaying enforcement of the subpoena to run out the clock on this Congress, hoping the Speaker adjourns the House for early holiday recess. Subpoenas effectively die and lack enforcement power when the 119th Congress ends, but I can assure Oracle and the public that my Democratic colleagues and I will not back down from our demands for transparency and accountability. As VA continues to push more and more care out to the private sector and outsources even more of its IT services to Oracle and other Trump donors, it is clear, at least to me, that veterans are the ones who will suffer because of this corruption. I want to go on to another issue.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“On September 2, the Veterans' Affairs Committee voted unanimously to adopt Congresswoman Maxine Dexter's motion to subpoena Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison and Oracle Health CEO Mike Sicilia. While I was glad to see that the subpoena was finally issued Monday night by Chairman Bost, I would like to reiterate that compliance with the subpoena must occur in a public hearing this Congress. Congress has a duty to examine the sequence of events that led us to this point, especially while the administration and congressional Republicans contemplate tens of billions of dollars in cuts to benefits that veterans earned for their service. Chairman Bost scheduled Mr. Sicilia and Mr. Ellison's appearances before the Veterans' Affairs Committee for November 19 and December 10, respectively.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“In fact, VA never even notified Congress of this $17 billion increase. To this day, VA still has not provided the committee or the public with an unredacted copy of this justification. The fact that Secretary Collins chose to hide the amount that the American taxpayer will be shouldering in order to shore up Oracle's bottom line should be concerning to all of us. Everyone can certainly draw their own conclusions here, but it is extremely clear to me that we are in desperate need of more facts. We need more information about how VA landed on this $17 billion number and just what led Oracle to be awarded this massive sum, despite no proven success. This is exactly what I am attempting to do.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“For instance, in 2022, after Oracle purchased Cerner for $28.3 billion, Oracle's CEO Mike Sicilia testified that they would actually eat the cost for the deployment of VA's electronic health records system in the case of cost overruns. However, we know that this is no longer the case. After Larry Ellison, Oracle's executive chairman and the eighth richest man in the world, made more than $45 million in donations to Donald Trump, Oracle is getting a $17.5 billion contract augmentation, a shocking amount that was initially hidden from both Congress and the public. Look at this contract that shows the augmentation of Oracle's contract by $17.5 billion. As you can see, VA has redacted, meaning blacked out, this number when it was quietly posted on SAM.gov on August 11, 2026.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Billions of dollars are going to private industry on the backs of veterans serving our country. Oracle isn't the only company getting rich or richer while the rest of America struggles with rising healthcare costs, expensive groceries, and sky-high gas prices. VA is also giving American taxpayers the opportunity to line the pockets of healthcare conglomerates, like UnitedHealthcare and private equity giants, with the VA's new community care contracts, amounting to $1 trillion. That is trillion with a t. I would say I am surprised, but I am not. It is no secret that this administration and sycophants in Congress like to pat themselves on the back, professing to put America first, all the while picking America's pockets. We should all be watching what they are doing instead of what they are saying and just follow the money.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“They should have to look in the eyes of our sailors who were on the USS Lincoln, our soldiers and our airmen and marines in the Middle East and tell them: Thank you for your service, but we are cutting your benefits. Nothing illustrates this point more than the majority's inaction on any new presumptions of service connection for veterans who desperately need help. The presumptions include blast overpressure, the Nevada Test and Training Range, missileer cancer, Atsugi Air Base, Fort George, Fort McClellan, Guam, Panama, infertility, fast boats, Red Hill, toxic base housing, cultural support teams, and the list goes on and on and on. All these veterans and their families are looking to us for relief. Yet all has been left by the wayside by this majority. Republicans haven't seen fit to address even one of the issues I just mentioned. Why?”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Now, my Republican colleagues wasted months pushing their deeply flawed taking benefits away from America's veterans act, which they claim was the ``only viable path for the Major Richard Star Act''. However, in reality, H.R. 9237 never had a path to passage. They brought it to Congress, to the House floor twice, but it was resoundingly rejected by the VSO and the veteran community because it includes the largest cut to veteran benefits in history. Now the House is recessing with nothing for veterans. For my Republican colleagues to try and rip veterans' benefits away now, while we are in an active conflict with Iran, is a slap in the face to every servicemember in harm's way.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“This victory belongs to them, but our work is not over until the Major Richard Star Act is signed into law. We have come too far, built too much momentum, and brought together too powerful a coalition to stop now. We must force the majority to act. Madam Speaker, the House has spoken, and these veterans have waited far too long for the benefits they deserve. Do not make them wait another 2 months for a vote on this bill. I ask this question to the Speaker: Is it more important for Congress to leave town than for us to stay here and take care of these 59,000 combat veterans? Instead of sending everyone home this evening, we should vote on this bill so it can be sent to the Senate and passed during this work period. Combat-injured veterans fulfilled their duty to this country. Will Congress fulfill our duty to them?”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“This bill, sponsored by my honorable Republican colleague, Representative Gus Bilirakis, has for years sat without action as veterans service organizations came to Congress repeatedly to demand relief for combat-injured veterans. My Republican colleagues offered excuses that it was too expensive, that helping wounded veterans would require cuts to other benefits, and my Democratic colleagues and I refused to accept that. Now, together with veterans service organizations and veteran partners and a few courageous Republicans who put veterans before partisanship, we can finally have a vote on this priority legislation. I thank every person in this room, in the galleries, people watching at home who use their voice to advocate to end the wounded veteran tax.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“I will take this opportunity to say to any veterans watching: You are not alone and support is available. We all have a role to play in preventing veteran suicide by reaching out, checking in, and letting veterans know that they have support. Now, one of the most important things that Congress should do for veterans is to ensure that they have the resources and programs that they need. House Democrats have been demonstrating our commitment by leading the charge to do what is right for veterans without consideration for politics or party. For example, last night, the discharge petition Representative Raul Ruiz and I introduced on the Major Richard Star Act received the 218th signature to force a vote in the House.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight for the American people just how badly the Republican majority has failed veterans in this Congress. First, before I get into that, I want to talk about something especially important. September is Suicide Prevention Month. We lose far too many veterans to suicide. Suicide Prevention Month is a perfect time to bring attention to this critical issue and to show support for veterans who need it. It is important to remind veterans that the Veterans Crisis Line is always reachable at 988 and you need to press 1. Responders are standing by to offer help and support. Unfortunately, my Republican colleagues declined to hold a single suicide prevention hearing in the month of September last year, and, sadly, no hearings were planned for this year.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Isaac on his work over the past 50 years defending education for all students, and I wish him a restful retirement. ____________________”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the career and service of Dr. Wolde-Ab Isaac and his 50-year career of defending education and eliminating barriers for students. Dr. Isaac grew up in Eritrea and was the first in his family to attend college. He majored in chemistry at Ethiopia's Haile Selassie University and then moved to the United States to pursue a master's of science and Ph.D.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Our communities thrive when every child, including trans children, can be part of a team, learn sportsmanship, and challenge themselves. They falter when we write exclusion into our laws.”
House of Representatives21 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this amendment. This amendment's language opens the door to invasive, degrading, and humiliating physical examinations of children, children who simply want to play softball or join a basketball team. That is creepy. This amendment would require the Department of Defense Education Activities schools to determine eligibility for girls' sports teams based on a girl's reproductive system. This amendment will empower child predators. We can have a nuanced conversation about eligibility rules for elite sports teams, but this amendment is a one-size-fits-all approach that dictates the same rules for a kindergartner wanting to play soccer as a 12th grader participating in competitive basketball. It does so in the most dangerous way, by opening young girls to invasive exams.”
House of Representatives21 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment. Once again, my Republican colleagues are moving forward with a sweeping ban on necessary healthcare, including mental health care for children. This isn't about cost. This isn't about force readiness. In fact, this amendment will harm our military's force readiness. This amendment will force servicemembers out of the military either for their own sake or for the sake of their children since this amendment bans mental health care for trans children. There are and will be trans children born to military households. That is a fact. What parent would choose staying in their job if that means denying their child access to mental health care? This amendment makes it impossible for the military to retain servicemembers with trans children.”
House of Representatives21 July 2026Source ↗
“Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.”
House of Representatives21 July 2026Source ↗
“Madam Chair, let me conclude by saying that trans servicemembers are honorable. Trans servicemembers are truthful. Trans members are disciplined. Trans members are heroic. Trans members have sacrificed for our country. They are physically and mentally fit to serve and have made America safer. Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives21 July 2026Source ↗
“Who are we as a country when strong, qualified, patriotic candidates who want to serve their country are turned away simply because of ignorant legislating? The American people want Congress to support our servicemembers, not waste time rooting out the ones they want to use as political pawns. I urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives21 July 2026Source ↗
“Madam Chair, this amendment would codify President Trump's executive order banning transgender Americans from serving in the United States military. Since that order came down, the military branches have forced out Americans who have served their country bravely and honorably, leaving entire professional careers behind and gaps in the units and chains of command they once held together. This amendment would codify that exclusion into law. There are no grounds to exclude trans people from the military except for hatred, prejudice, and bigotry. There is no evidence that having transgender troops negatively impacts military readiness. Our military is strongest when every qualified servicemember is able to serve.”
House of Representatives21 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this simple, bipartisan bill protects taxpayers. It does so without weakening the FECA program. It simply targets truly bad actors, corrupt physicians, pharmacists, and other providers who exploit injured Federal workers and rip off the FECA program. This is an example of the kind of reform that makes sense. We are not saving money by turning our backs on the people who need these benefits. Instead, we are focusing the attention where it ought to be, on the providers who profit off workers' pain unlawfully. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives20 July 2026Source ↗
“Those rules do not enable the Department to stop payment on any claims that a convicted provider has already submitted prior to the conviction. That could amount to millions of dollars in claims with a high risk of fraud moving through the system. There are, of course, due process issues that could arise, but this bill already contemplates those issues by empowering the Department of Labor to develop appropriate rules for implementing the new authority. All in all, this bill closes an important gap and protects taxpayers. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to my colleagues Representatives Omar and Mackenzie on this issue. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives20 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 8823, Putting Patients First by Strengthening Provider Accountability in FECA Act. Providers are the greatest source of fraud in the Federal Employees' Compensation Act program, otherwise known as FECA. For example, during this committee's oversight of the opioid crisis, we learned about corrupt compounding pharmacies that were crushing up pills and putting them into creams, even though the medicines in those pills were not absorbed through the skin. A 15-ounce tube of this useless cream got charged to the FECA program for $15,000. Existing rules allow the Department of Labor to strike a provider from the list of eligible providers in the FECA program when they are convicted of fraud in any public health program.”
House of Representatives20 July 2026Source ↗
“The vast majority of her middle school classmates perished that morning. She is a ``hibakusha''; ``survivor'' of the atomic bombing. The U.S. and Russia had the New START Treaty which limited the number of nuclear warheads in both of their respective arsenals. This year the Trump administration allowed it to expire, dealing a major blow to arms control efforts. We must not allow negligence or indifference to lead to a disaster in the absence of diplomatic safeguards. Mr. Speaker, I call on Congress, the President, and all of us to return to leadership in reversing the arms control race. ____________________”
House of Representatives20 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. August 6, 81 years ago--which will happen in a couple of weeks--the first instance of a nuclear weapon being deployed against a civilian population occurred. My cousin, Kikue Takagi, survived the bombing because she was sick and stayed home instead of being at the city center at ground zero with her middle school classmates.”
House of Representatives20 July 2026Source ↗
“Instead, we must honor the contract we made with our Nation's veterans and reject the false choice Chairman Bost has foisted upon us. I join the millions of veterans across the country who vehemently oppose H.R. 9237, the Take Care of America's Veterans Act, and urge everyone to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Throughout this process, I have tried to stay up to date on what veterans are saying online about the so-called Take Care of America's Veterans Act. I found the discussions to be enlightening. Before my colleagues say I have cherry-picked those comments, I urge them to pull out their phones and take a look at the comment sections on any social media post discussing this bill. It will become clear to you that opposition to this legislation is coming from veterans on both sides of the aisle. Let's take a look. I am quoting from the comments: ``This creates two tiers of veterans.'' ``Veterans should not have to take a reduced amount to provide savings to pay for fellow veterans. The U.S. Government should honor their commitment to us.'' ``This is a false choice.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗
“That is why I say vote ``no.'' In addition, the chairman and his colleagues fail to acknowledge that the existing veterans who have yet to file a claim for tinnitus or sleep apnea--I am talking about a group of people not the current servicemembers, but veterans who have yet to apply for a rating--these two groups of veterans, that is, current servicemembers and veterans who have yet to file, will be treated worse than those that came before them. This contract will unilaterally be changed on them and for the worse. How my Republican colleagues are okay with treating two veterans with the same exact condition differently is beyond me. Mr. Speaker, this is the largest cut to veterans' disability benefits in history being used to pay for this bill when Republicans are not demanding offsets for $95 billion next week.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗
“Let me just say a ``yes'' vote on this bill is a message that we are sending to the servicemembers currently serving in and around the waters of Iran and the Strait of Hormuz and our servicemembers that are stationed at bases who have already faced incoming missile fire and have been subjected to the blasts that have surely affected their eardrums, we are saying to them that they will not be able to apply to make claims based on tinnitus, much less sleep apnea. That is the message a ``yes'' vote will send to them.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗
“It is foolish to think that VA won't apply the new rules for sleep apnea and tinnitus when veterans have their ratings reviewed. Further, his remarks fail to take into consideration two other critically important populations here. First, these cuts would make servicemembers currently serving who may be incurring these injuries right now ineligible to receive compensation for service-connected tinnitus or sleep apnea. Those servicemembers President Trump keeps sending into harm's way in this foolish war with Iran would be ineligible for these benefits. That should give us all pause.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗
“I yield myself such time as I may consume. In listening to the chairman today and at the Rules Committee several weeks ago, it is clear to me that he has been picking his words very carefully. He has been very specific that this bill, the so-called Take Care of America's Veterans Act, would not impair current veterans. I am not sure if the chairman fully understands how the disability benefits system works or if he truly believes what he is saying, but what he is saying isn't even remotely the full truth. The bill can and will lead to cuts for those who already have service-connected disability ratings for sleep apnea and tinnitus. This is because anytime a veteran applies for a rating increase or applies for a new rating for some other condition, VA can and does review previous ratings, sometimes even lowering them.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I continue to ask the chairman in advance of a $95 billion supplemental for Pentagon spending, farm assistance, and intelligence operation, on none of this are the Republicans seeking an offset? Only the chairman in this particular case when it comes to our veterans is demanding that veterans pay for veterans. We could pass this bill without having to ask veterans to pay for veterans--actually, for disabled veterans to pay for veterans. Mr. Speaker, I would ask the chairman again: Does he plan to seek an offset or demand an offset for the $95 billion supplemental for Pentagon spending, farm assistance, and intelligence operations, none of which Republicans are intending to pay for? Their rules and their policy is to make veterans pay for veterans. Mr.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I will point out that yesterday, House Republicans released a $95 billion supplemental for the reconciliation bill they want to bring forward next week for Pentagon spending, farm assistance, and intelligence operations all without offsets. We are talking about $95 billion--none of them with an offset. Yet, we are asking our veterans to pay for this bill. Only in the case of veterans is the chairman looking for an offset. I defy the chairman to tell me whether he will ask for an offset for the $95 billion supplemental that goes to Pentagon spending, farm assistance, and intelligence operations. I eagerly await to hear his answer. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗
“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.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗
“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.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗
“The time is mine. I am reclaiming my time. Mr. Speaker, there has been no public statement by the Secretary. There has been no named official from VA today. I defy the chairman to produce such a name. He is making a claim, but, again, I will contend that they are counting on a golden egg in disability cuts, savings on the backs of veterans, that has not been laid yet and that I contend will not be. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Deluzio), a veteran of the U.S. Navy, a former member of this committee and who now serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Transportation Committee.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗
“So the gentleman is saying that a Secretary who backed away from changes to disability ratings in terms of medication--the intent was to say that if veterans take medication or get some sort of treatment, that if their conditions improve, that their disability ratings could then be lowered. He backed away from that after immense protest and opposition from veterans and veterans organizations. {time} 0950 You are telling me that this very same Secretary is telling you that he is moving forward with a $57 billion cut to disability ratings? Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman for the purposes of a colloquy.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, the chairman has made the claim that VA is going to move forward with taking away sleep apnea and tinnitus as conditions that veterans may claim disability ratings for. I would like to ask the chairman who at VA has made that commitment. He has tweeted out this morning that this is the case. Mr. Speaker, I yield 15 seconds to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost) for the purpose of a colloquy to tell me the name of the person at VA who has confirmed that the VA is moving forward with these changes to disability ratings.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗
“We will be watching your vote on this carefully. We urge you to change your position on this. Do not strip benefits from future and current veterans. Respectfully, Bill Enyart, Post Commander; Rodney Buhr, Senior Vice- commander; Marvin Hammel, Junior Vice-commander; April Tarbill, Finance Pio Officer. We sent similar letters to Congresswoman Budzinski, and Senators Durbin and Duckworth.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗
“Blue Earth Post 89 is in disagreement with Department and National on this issue. We fully support the original MAJ Richard Star act, but can not abide by taking from one group of veterans to pay another. Paul J. Kafka, Past Commander, American Legion Post 89. ____ Bill Enyart. Here is the email American Legion Post 58, Belleville, IL, sent Mike Bost tonight: Re TCAVA HR 9237 Section 108 Congressman Bost: American Legion Post 58 voted unanimously at tonight's meeting to indicate our disagreement with TCAVA Section 108 in its entirety. And further to voice our disagreement with the position taken by the American Legion National Commander in support of this legislation as currently written. He does not speak for us. Located in Belleville, about half of our members reside in your district, most of the balance in Congresswoman Budzinski's.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗
“____ American Legion Trujillo-Sheets Post 28 Durango, CO's Post Last night all members at the post meeting voted unanimously that the post is NOT SUPPORTING the TCAVA. At the 2022 American Legion convention resolution 33 was approved which clearly describes the feeling of the membership of the legion. This is the guidance that the leadership should be using to determine our support for bills that affect our VA benefits. You can read it here from the National Archives. https://archive.legion.org/node/8419 ____ From: Paul Kafka Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2026 11:30:06 AM To: Shane Junkert Subject: TCAVA opposition Tonight 07/13/2026 at the Blue Earth Post 89 American Legion Department of Minnesota meeting, a motion was made to disapprove of National's position on the TCAVA. After discussion, a vote was held, and it was unanimous.”
House of Representatives16 July 2026Source ↗