Latest news with #HouseVeteransAffairsCommittee
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Veterans Mortgage Assistance Plan Approved by House After VA Ends Rescue Program
Veterans struggling to pay their mortgages could get help under a plan approved by the House to replace a mortgage rescue program the Trump administration ended this month. The House approved by voice vote on Monday night a bill that would create a partial claims program for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The program would essentially allow veterans with VA home loans who need to skip mortgage payments to move those missing payments to the end of their loan term. The bill, if ultimately approved by the Senate and signed into law, could provide a lifeline to veterans who are at risk of foreclosure following the end of the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase program this month. Read Next: Retired 4-Star Admiral Found Guilty on 4 Charges Stemming from Bribery Allegations "It was a bad program, and the Trump administration was right to stop it. However, I recognize that sometimes veterans fall on hard times and veterans need a safety net," House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., said on the House floor. The bill approved Monday "is a fiscally responsible solution to enhance the VA home loan program and give veterans the assistance they might need if they are in home loan debt," Bost added. The VA had a partial claims program during the COVID-19 pandemic when many veterans, like others around the world, struggled to pay bills because their normal stream of income was disrupted. But that partial claims program ended in October 2022. When the program ended, thousands of veterans found themselves receiving unaffordable bills for mortgage payments they had missed. After NPR reported on the issue last year, the Biden administration created the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase, or VASP, program as an emergency fix. Under VASP, the VA purchased delinquent loans from holders and became the primary loan servicer, providing borrowers a stable payment plan at a fixed rate of 2.5% for the remainder of their loan. The program helped about 17,000 veterans stay in their homes, while the VA purchased about $5.5 billion worth of loans through the program, according to the department. But Republicans opposed VASP, arguing that the Biden administration acted without congressional approval and that taxpayer dollars were put at unacceptable risk by the VA becoming the loan holder. Last month, the VA announced that it was ending VASP, effective May 1. While veterans already on VASP weren't kicked off, the department stopped accepting new applications on that date. VASP "should have never started to begin with," VA Secretary Doug Collins said at a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing last week, claiming that the Veterans Benefits Administration was on the verge of needing to shuffle around billions of dollars from other programs to cover VASP costs. "It should not have been a program that was taking money away from other things to start and getting VA into the mortgage business," he said. Democrats fumed at Collins' decision, arguing that ending VASP without an alternative in place put 80,000 veterans at risk of foreclosure. The bill approved by the House on Monday would provide the alternative by giving the VA the authority to create a new partial claims program. The partial claims program could save the government about $170 million over a decade by reducing the amount of costs the VA pays related to loan defaults, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The bill, which was first introduced by Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., received bipartisan support after negotiations added some more protections Democrats were seeking for veterans who missed mortgage payments from March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic started, to May 1, when VASP ended. Still, Democrats are continuing to blast the VA for not taking more steps to ensure veterans aren't foreclosed on while the bill works its way through Congress. "I continue to urge the secretary to reinstate some kind of assistance for veteran borrowers until this legislation is signed into law and implemented," Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., the ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said on the House floor Monday. "That will take some time. Every veteran who loses their home will have no one to blame but President Trump and Secretary Collins." Related: Year-Old VA Mortgage Rescue Program Ended by Trump Administration
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Veteran Committee Chairman Requests Federal Investigation of Former VA Secretary, Other Biden Officials
The chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee has asked the Justice Department to investigate former Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough and other VA leaders for their handling of the fiscal 2024 budget, questioning whether they intentionally misled Congress when asking for an extra $15 billion to cover a projected funding shortfall. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., wrote Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday calling for a review of the VA leaders involved, including McDonough, Under Secretary for Benefits Joshua Jacobs, Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal and "any other officials." "The suggestion that senior VA officials submitted materially inaccurate funding requests, failed to disclose critical budget information in testimony before Congress and letters written by the former VA secretary, and delays in informing Congress of revised funding needs, in my opinion, warrant immediate and independent review by your office," Bost wrote in his letter. Read Next: Marines Using Work-Arounds to Fund Duty Station Moves, Bonuses amid Congress' Stopgap Funding "If any criminal or civil violations occurred, those responsible must be held accountable," Bost said. In July, the VA said it would face a $12 billion shortfall in its health-care budget and a $3 billion deficit for benefits by the end of the year as a result of increased costs in medical services and disability compensation, largely attributable to the PACT Act, the legislation that expanded health care and benefits to millions of veterans exposed to environmental pollutants during their military service. Congress approved the $3 billion for benefits in September, but in November, the VA told Congress that the funding was not used to cover costs for fiscal 2024 and it actually had $2.2 billion left in its benefits accounts by the end of the year. It would use the extra funding, according to a memo sent to Congress, for the start of fiscal 2025. "While the supplemental funding was not immediately utilized, it was critical that we had this funding on hand -- because if we had even been $1 short on Sept. 20, we could not certify our payment files and more than 7 million veterans and survivors would have had delays in their disability compensation, pension and education benefits on Oct. 1," the memo said. Congress elected not to spend the additional $12 billion requested for the VA's health-care budget -- a projection that by November also had been revised downward to $6.6 billion -- but it did include $6 billion to cover health-care costs in the fiscal 2025 funding bill passed in March. A VA Office of Inspector General investigation into the budget issues at the Veterans Benefits Administration determined that accounting errors and fewer-than-expected claims approvals led the VA to inaccurately anticipate its year-end costs. "The OIG found that improvements in financial oversight, reporting accuracy, and communication processes would have provided greater clarity and may have obviated the need for the supplemental funding request," the IG wrote in a report released in March. The OIG also found that for the $12 billion request for the Veterans Health Administration, the VA "relied on outdated data and assumptions, including lower-than-actual costs for new medications and both direct and community care." Bost said the reports raised concerns, however, as to whether the VA leaders "knowingly withheld material budget information, submitted inflated funding requests, provided false testimony to Congress, or otherwise acted to obstruct congressional oversight," according to his letter. California Rep. Mark Takano, the ranking Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, condemned Bost's call for an investigation, calling it a "desperate political stunt" that "weaponizes the justice system." In a statement released Wednesday, Takano said the Justice Department already had reviewed the matters and found no evidence of criminal misconduct. "The truth is simple: at the end of the last administration, VA was achieving record-high levels of veteran satisfaction, workforce productivity, and health care outcomes. Former Secretary McDonough and his team led VA through one of its most successful eras in history. They deserve to be honored -- not smeared by partisan attacks," Takano said. "The American people -- especially our veterans -- deserve better than sham investigations and political theater becoming the new normal," Takano added. The Justice Department on Wednesday confirmed that it had received the letter but declined to comment. Related: VA to Step Up Rollout of New Electronic Health Records System in 2026
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Toxic Exposure at Domestic Military Bases Is Next Step After PACT Act, Democratic Lawmakers Say
Leading Democrats in Congress are turning their attention to service members exposed to toxins at domestic military bases and other environmental disasters who were left out of a sweeping law that extended veterans benefits to millions who were exposed to toxins in combat zones. At a roundtable on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, representatives from more than a dozen military and veterans advocacy groups and researchers detailed health battles that service members have faced after drinking tainted water, working with radiation and hazardous chemicals, living in moldy housing, and breathing toxic fumes. The roundtable was hosted by Democrats on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, who framed the event as an effort to build on the PACT Act, the wide-ranging toxic exposure law passed in 2022. While the PACT Act addressed some toxic exposure at domestic bases, most notably water contamination at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, the bill largely focused on veterans sickened by burn pits and chemicals in war zones. Read Next: Trump Administration Fires Female Vice Admiral Amid Widening Purge of Military Officers "You all know, as I do, that the PACT Act was not comprehensive," said Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., the ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. "It was not meant to be one-and-done. It was a down payment. And there are significant populations that still need help. Those populations are no less worthy than those who were included in the bill." "As the medical appointments stack up, as the diagnoses stack up, as the deaths stack up, we must further our efforts to address toxic exposures in the domestic sphere and push back against the idea that our service members are only in harm's way in war zones," he added later. From highly carcinogenic substances in underground missile silos to fuel-tainted water in Hawaii to nuclear testing in Nevada to "forever chemicals" in firefighting foam, the circumstances of the exposures recounted Tuesday changed, but the health struggles were familiar. Cancer at an unusually young age. A high rate of miscarriages. Difficulty breathing. In addition to domestic toxic exposures, the roundtable also featured testimony about Naval Air Facility Atsugi in Japan, where a waste incinerator spewed toxic fumes into the air across the base from 1985 to 2001. Also shared by the participants: feelings of being dismissed, discounted and ignored by military and Department of Veterans Affairs officials. "There's not been a lot of lessons learned," said Mandy Feindt, an Army major who was representing military families sickened by the 2021 Red Hill jet fuel leak that tainted the drinking water at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii. "When we raise our right hand, we know that there's inherent risk," she added. "But on the flip side of that, we as an organization, as an institution, have an obligation to take care of our veterans, and that's not happening. How I see this happening is that we have to be proactive with medical care, and that starts with adequate medical testing at the first known event of toxic exposure." "What I found going through all this and the court is that no testing equals no evidence equals no indication of long-term harm which then also equals no incident to service," she said. Among the veteran service organizations and advocacy groups at the roundtable was the Torchlight Initiative -- a nonprofit representing current and former service members who worked with America's intercontinental ballistic missile arsenal who, as detailed in a investigative series last year, are seeing large numbers of cancer diagnoses among those who served at stateside bases where toxic exposure and contact with contaminants was widespread. A cancer registry on the Torchlight website has reported, as of late last year, upward of 700 cases of illness and cancer among those in the missile community. One of those former missileers who has been diagnosed with cancer, Danny Sebeck, spoke to the lawmakers about his personal health struggles Tuesday and also highlighted the need for more resources for and attention on the illnesses facing the missile community. "We're taking a lot of casualties, and these casualties are not taken on the battlefield. Instead, they're taken in our workplace," Sebeck said. "The PACT Act does a great job of trying to cover some of that for people that are overseas, but obviously we need that documentation to cover our folks that are here." Several of the participants in Tuesday's roundtable asked lawmakers to consider legislation that would notify veterans who may have been exposed to toxins at Atsugi and domestic bases. Others asked for studies to prove there are high rates of cancer in certain military communities. And still others asked for the same benefits that have been extended through the PACT Act and other laws to other veterans and federal workers exposed to toxins. "I ask that we become an equal member of the veteran community," said Dave Crete, an Air Force veteran and chairman of The Invisible Enemy, which advocates for veterans exposed to radiation at the Nevada Test and Training Range struggling to get health care and benefits because of the classified nature of their work. "And strangely enough, it's a huge ask." In addition to using Tuesday's event to inform possible toxic exposure legislation in the future, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and a co-host of the roundtable, said the testimony could be helpful as lawmakers push back on planned cuts at the VA. The Trump administration is considering firing more than 80,000 VA employees later this year, a plan that Democrats have been pushing back against hard. "What you're telling us, we're going to use that testimony as evidence for stopping the crisis that is unfolding at the VA," Blumenthal said. "It's a crisis that is a self-inflicted wound." Related: Millions of Vets Got Health Care and Benefits Under the PACT Act. Thousands Left Out Want the Same Chance.
Boston Globe
11-03-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Some Republican lawmakers have concerns about Elon Musk and DOGE. Here's what they've said.
Rep. Bill Huizenga, Michigan 'I will fully admit, I think Elon Musk has tweeted first and thought second sometimes,' Huizenga said last week during a virtual meeting with constituents. Advertisement 'He has plunged ahead without necessarily knowing and understanding what he legally has to do or what he is going to be doing.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Rep. Mike Bost, Illinois The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning a reorganization that includes cutting over 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency that provides health care and other services for millions of veterans, according to an internal memo obtained March 5 by The Associated Press. Bost, who chairs the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said following that reporting that he had 'questions about the impact these reductions and discussions could have on the delivery of services, especially following the implementation of the PACT Act' and would work 'to ultimately put veterans back at the core of VA's mission.' Rep. Derrick Van Orden, Wisconsin Saying that he found Musk 'highly receptive' when the two spoke last week, Van Orden said in a news release that the billionaire had 'assured' him that 'DOGE will be more refined in their recommendations to ensure our vets and farmers are not hurt in the process of eliminating waste, fraud and abuse in federal spending.' Van Orden said he shared with Musk what he had heard from constituents, urging him to look at veterans and farmers 'with a different lens.' Rep. Jennifer Kiggans, Virginia Virginia's 2nd District, which Kiggans represents, is home to Virginia Beach and its large U.S. Navy presence. It has the highest concentration of civilian federal workers, at 8.1 percent, of all congressional districts represented by Republicans. Earlier this month, Kiggans wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, asking him to limit layoffs for veterans. She expressed concern that eliminating waste could mean unintentional harm for a key GOP constituency. Advertisement 'We all understand the overarching goal, where we're going to: again, downsizing, cutting spending. But how are we getting there? And I think there's just some places to provide a gentle reminder along the way that, please look out for our veterans,' Kiggans said. Rep. Don Bacon, Nebraska Bacon, who represents a swing district, has said the administration should be more careful in how it carries out its cuts, likening his desire to the need to 'measure twice and cut once.' Last month, as the Agriculture Department scrambled to rehire several workers who were involved in the government's response to the ongoing bird flu outbreak that has devastated egg and poultry farms over the past three years, Bacon commended Trump for 'fulfilling his promise to shed light on waste, fraud, and abuse in government' but told AP that 'downsizing decisions must be narrowly tailored to preserve critical missions.' Rep. Mike Simpson, Idaho Simpson has warned that national parks could be impaired by cutbacks at the start of summer hiring in preparation for the onslaught of visitors. 'We need to have a conversation with DOGE and the administration about exactly what they've done here,' Simpson, a seasoned lawmaker who sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee, said last month. 'It's a concern to all of us.' Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina In reaction to the VA cuts memo, the chair of the Senate Budget Committee said he was displeased that the VA had not given lawmakers an advance notification of the changes, saying it was 'political malpractice not to consult Congress.' Advertisement 'Maybe you've got a good reason to do it,' Graham said last week, leaving a lunch with Musk. 'But we don't need to be reading memos in the paper about a 20% cut at the VA.' Sen. Katie Britt, Alabama Last month, Britt put out a statement calling for a 'targeted approach' in ensuring that proposed caps on the National Institutes of Health don't hit what she called 'life-saving, groundbreaking research at high-achieving institutions,' including her state's beloved University of Alabama. 'While the administration works to achieve this goal at NIH, a smart, targeted approach is needed,' Britt said. Sen. Jerry Moran, Kansas Moran has expressed concern that food from heartland farmers would spoil rather than be sent around the world as the US Agency for International Development shutters.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The White House's line on veterans goes from bad to worse
Broadly speaking, when it comes to veterans, there are two key problems with the Republican Party's agenda. The first is that veterans' benefits have been put in jeopardy. As Rachel Maddow Show viewers know, this is driven in large part by the Trump administration and Elon Musk's DOGE operation, but GOP lawmakers' plans on Capitol Hill are also generating concerns. In fact, earlier this week, Republican Rep. Greg Murphy of North Carolina, who sits on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, appeared on CNN and was asked whether he could guarantee that veterans' benefits and care would not be affected by his party's proposed spending cuts. 'No, I can't guarantee anything,' the North Carolinian replied. But the other element to this is that the White House's mass firings agenda is leading to layoffs throughout the federal government, which is pushing plenty of veterans out of their jobs. Indeed, The New York Times reported, 'Veterans, who make up a disproportionate share of federal employees, are feeling the brunt of the Trump administration's rapid push to downsize the work force, generating discord in a reliable political base for Republicans.' The same report added, 'Nearly 30 percent of civil service employees in the federal government are veterans, according to data as of September from the Office of Personnel Management, the government's human resources arm.' It's difficult to say with certainty precisely how many veterans have been fired as part of the White House's push, but Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee put the number at roughly 6,000 as of late February. It was against this backdrop that NBC News reported on the latest rhetoric from Alina Habba, a counselor to the president. White House adviser Alina Habba said Tuesday that military veterans affected by the DOGE-led layoffs of federal workers may not be 'fit to have a job at this moment.' As part of her comments, Habba (who was part of Donald Trump's legal team before joining his White House operation) said she had no sympathy for the thousands of Americans who have lost their jobs. 'I really don't feel sorry for them,' she said. Habba's rhetoric shifted when a reporter reminded her that some military veterans have been part of that group. 'That's something the president has always cared about — anybody in blue, anybody that serves this country. But at the same time, we have taxpayer dollars, we have a fiscal responsibility to use taxpayer dollars to pay people that actually work,' she said. 'That doesn't mean that we forget our veterans by any means,' Habba added. 'We are going to care for them in the right way, but perhaps they're not fit to have a job at this moment, or not willing to come to work. And we can't, you know, I wouldn't take money from you and pay somebody and say, 'Sorry, you know, they're not going to come to work.' It's just not acceptable.' Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia has accused the White House of waging 'a war on veterans,' and Habba's comments probably won't help with the administration's rebuttal. As for the president, Trump told reporters last week that his team is keeping track of the number of military veterans who are losing their jobs as a result of his administration's policies. 'We hope it's going to be as small a number as possible,' the Republican said. Trump didn't elaborate as to how the White House would try to limit layoffs among veterans, his 'hopes' notwithstanding. This article was originally published on
