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Today, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity delivered the following opening remarks, as prepared at the start of the subcommittee’s first oversight hearing to examine the current state of Education Services at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that the delivery of benefits is streamlined, effective, and meeting veterans’ needs.

Good morning.

The Subcommittee will come to order.

Before we begin this Subcommittee’s first hearing of the 119th Congress, I want to introduce myself. My name is Derrick Van Orden, and I represent the great people of the 3rd district of Wisconsin. I am a proud NAVY SEAL who served our country for 26 years, in combat deployments.

I am incredibly honored to be the Chairman of this Subcommittee, as I have used many of the programs, we have oversight on to sit where I do today. The work this Subcommittee does is personal to me – I take it very seriously.

I am also very excited to begin working with our new Ranking Member, Mr. Pappas, and the other members of the Subcommittee to serve veterans and their families well.

During the 118th Congress, the previous Ranking Member and I did amazing work in enacting meaningful legislation, conducting oversight over V.A., and holding the department accountable.

Through the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, Congress was able to pass improvements to education benefits, homelessness prevention benefits, USERRA, and reduce red tape at V.A.

As we will hear from V.A. today, we have lots more to do this Congress to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and get V.A. to work for veterans – not the bureaucracy.

I look forward to continuing the nonpartisan spirit of this Subcommittee with Ranking Member Pappas this Congress to improve the Transition Assistance Program, or T.A.P, reform employment programs, and address veteran homelessness issues.

Today we will focus on the current state of Education Services in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Since 2020, the number of employees in the Education Services at V.A.’s headquarters in DC has nearly doubled, growing from 102 to over 185 in 2024.

By contrast, the amount of money taxpayers have invested in V.A.’s education benefits has only increased from $11.5 billion in 2020 to an estimated $12.1 billion in 2024.

While I recognize that many of these employees do good work to deliver benefits to veterans, I believe that this is a clear example of the inside-the-beltway, clunky bureaucracy the Trump administration is working to cut out over the next four years.

Far too many times during the Biden administration, this subcommittee had to step in and fix the problems V.A. created for itself.

In this hearing room, we have seen the following:

• Contract and oversight mistakes with the Digital G.I. Bill.
• V.A. bureaucrats going rogue with Risk-Based Surveys leading to schools backing out from accepting the G.I. Bill.
• A foolish interpretation of a Supreme Court case that will add nearly $10 billion to the deficit over the next decade.
• V.A. proposing a rule to the federal registry using the wrong form, causing schools to panic.
• Government employees reinterpreting Congressional law and kicking out religious schools from the G.I. Bill.
• Former head of the Education Service giving out his contact information to School Certifying Officials because they had so many communication issues that needed to be solved.
• And many more that we don’t have time to talk about.

These are issues that are taking time away from Congress and V.A. working together to make veterans’ education benefits better, streamlined, and effective.

Just last week, my staff met with a School Certifying Official to discuss many of the issues we will talk about today.

In the meeting, she stated that V.A. will always talk about all of the good they are doing but never bring up the mistakes they made as well.

After reading V.A.’s testimony, her comments could not be more accurate.

That is what this hearing is for today, to talk about the good, bad, and the ugly in V.A.’s Education Services.

I hope to hear from V.A. today about the mistakes they made during the Biden-Harris administration, and how we can work together this Congress to not make the same mistakes again.

Additionally, I want an update on the implementation of S. 141, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act.

The provisions in this bill are crucial for veterans working to get an education when they leave the military and for schools across the country to be able to continue offering the G.I. Bill.

With that, I now yield to the Ranking Member for his opening remarks.