House GOP pulls military benefits bill that has divided veterans groups

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House Republican leadership on Thursday canceled a vote on a massive military benefits package that would pay for expanded compensation for veterans by cutting some future disability claims —a controversial measure that has divided veterans groups.

GOP leaders ran into a roadblock on a Democratic-led procedural vote to send the bill back to committee, with four Republicans taking the unusual step of voting with Democrats in a signal that there may not be the support necessary to pass the underlying bill.

If successful, it would have allowed Democrats to call up an amendment to strike some of the cost-saving provisions regarding Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan program fees and benefits for veterans with tinnitus and sleep apnea.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other GOP leaders huddled with some of the holdouts in an office off the House floor as they held open the vote and aimed to sway the lawmakers. Leaving one such huddle, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said: “I’m not going to cut veteran’s benefits.”

Three Republicans ultimately maintained their “yes” votes: Luna, Rep. Max Miller (Ohio) and Rep. Jeff Van Drew (N.J.). GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz (Ind.) eventually flipped her vote to oppose the Democratic motion, letting Republican leaders win the procedural vote.

But leadership then immediately pulled the bill from the House floor.

Van Drew said the failed vote proved the legislation is not ready.

“It has good provisions, but paying for them by reducing disability compensation for veterans with service-related health issues is the wrong approach. We can, and must, do better. Start by passing the Major Richard Star Act,” the New Jersey lawmaker wrote on social media after the vote.

The massive military benefits package, called the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (TCAVA), includes more than 60 bills and contains provisions that have largely enjoyed backing from veterans groups across the board. That includes the Maj. Richard Star Act, which would concurrently provide medically retired service members retirement pay and VA disability.

Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), the chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, who has championed the package, galvanized support for the measure on Tuesday outside of Congress along with a bevy of veterans organizations, including Vietnam Veterans of America, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors and Wounded Warrior Project.

“The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act Delivers on the promise we have made to put veterans — not big government — back in charge. The bill builds on the CHOICE Act and the MISSION Act to expand vitally important healthcare access so they can get the best healthcare – close to home, and without delay,” Bost said on Tuesday. “This bill also increases benefits for severely disabled veterans, like our friend Army veteran Eric Edmundson, and his family who are fulltime caregivers.”

The Maj. Richard Star Act, as a standalone measure, has the support of nearly 80 senators and more than 320 House members, and has long been a priority among veterans advocates. But the legislation, which is backed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been blocked in the fall and earlier this year over cost concerns.

The VA is set to cut back veterans’ disability compensation regarding tinnitus and sleep apnea — funds that would go to the Treasury Department, but the TCAVA would redirect the funds to pay for new benefits.

“Leadership is about carefully evaluating the facts, making difficult decisions, and accepting responsibility for those decisions. That has defined The American Legion for more than 107 years,” American Legion Government Affairs Executive Director Mario Marquez said Tuesday. “Leadership, though, also requires more than identifying problems. It requires offering solutions. After years of working alongside dedicated organizations and advocates who have devoted their entire professional lives to serve America’s veterans, The American Legion believes this legislation represents the strongest path forward.”

Veterans groups and Democrats in Congress who have been against the massive package have argued that it would pay for veterans’ benefits by gutting benefits for those same veterans in the future.

“This reduction would come in the form of devastating cuts for millions of veterans currently eligible to receive disability benefits for tinnitus and sleep apnea,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), ranking members in the chamber’s respective Veterans Affairs Committees, wrote in a Wednesday op-ed on Fox News.

“The Republican insistence on offsetting new investments in veterans is both absurd and cruel. The cost of war includes the human cost of caring for our veterans,” Blumenthal and Takano, both of whom have championed the Maj. Richard Star Act, said. “We make a promise to care for these men and women after their service, and a great nation keeps its promises.”

Veterans of Foreign Wars, one of the veteran groups opposing the TCAVA, said while the group supports the Maj. Richard Star Act and other provisions in the package, it won’t allow one generation of veterans to pay for another.

“America’s obligation to those who serve is a debt owed by our nation, it is not a debt that should be paid by other veterans,” the organization said this week. “The cost of caring for veterans should be paid through the federal government, not by reducing the earned disability compensation of future generations who answered the call to serve, including many who are serving in harm’s way right now.”

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Anna Paulina Luna

Jeff Van Drew

Jefferson Van Drew

Mark Takano

Max Miller

Mike Bost

Mike Johnson

Pete Hegseth

Richard Blumenthal

Victoria Spartz

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