Press Releases

Today, Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, released the following statement after the Committee advanced the Biden Administration’s proposal to provide VA with $17 billion through the rushed, partisan budget reconciliation process.

“Today, Democrat Members of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee voted against helping veterans get vaccinated against COVID-19. They voted against helping unemployed veterans get jobs. They voted against protecting veterans’ mental health. They voted against helping homeless veterans find shelter. They voted against supporting American businesses. They voted against increasing transparency and good government. They voted against doing right by veterans and taxpayers. They voted against unity and bipartisanship.

“Instead, they voted to give VA $17 billion with zero justification and almost no strings attached, mere minutes after our Committee met for the first time. All because the Biden White House asked them to. This is a sad start to our work this Congress. I hope for much better moving forward. At the very least, I hope our Democrat colleagues will judge our policy proposals based on substance, not party, the next time.”

During the markup, Republican Committee Members offered 13 amendments to:

- Get veterans vaccinated

- Get veterans back to work

- Help veterans recover physically, mentally, and financially from the pandemic

- Hold VA accountable for making sure taxpayer dollars are well spent

For a full list of the 13 Republican amendments, click here.