Press Releases

Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.), alongside Subcommittee on Health Chairwoman Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.), Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), and Rep. Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-N.C.), introduced a series of bills as part of the Chairman’s broader reauthorization strategy to soundly reauthorize specific programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) — many of which have not been comprehensively reauthorized in 30 years.

Specifically, the first series of bills would reauthorize and improve VA healthcare delivery, VA’s national drug formulary, leasing and construction, healthcare research, and contracting and procurement process. These bills aim to address ongoing issues that have hindered VA healthcare delivery over the years due to excessive bureaucracy and cumbersome processes, which has shifted the focus away from placing veterans at the center of everything VA does. POLITICO was the first to exclusively report on Chairman Bost’s reauthorization plans for next year.

“It has been far too long since VA programs have been thoroughly reviewed and updated to meet veterans’ needs. I know that Secretary Collins and the Trump administration share that vision — because the days of simply accepting business as usual are over,” said Chairman Bost. “Last November, the American people expressed a clear desire to end the status quo and make the government – and specifically VA – work for the veteran taxpayers it serves. I firmly believe that to accomplish this, the Committee and Congress need to keep pushing VA forward to serve veterans better. The bills we are introducing today align with that mission, and I’m proud to support them.”

The four bills that were introduced today as part of the Committee’s broader reauthorization strategy would:

• Bring VA’s National Drug Formulary in line with healthcare industry standards.
• Reform VA’s leasing and construction process for new VA facilities.
• Modernize VA's healthcare research processes to better serve patients.
• Reform VA’s contracting and procurement processes.
  
  

“Our veterans deserve timely, evidence-based access to the medications they need, no matter where they live or which VA facility they visit. This bill modernizes VA’s formulary system to make it more transparent, consistent, and patient-focused,” said Health Subcommittee Chairwoman Dr. Miller-Meeks. “By streamlining the approval process, strengthening clinical oversight, and improving procurement practices, we’re ensuring veterans get the right care, at the right time, with the best value for taxpayers.”

To learn more about proposed reforms to VA’s National Drug Formulary, click here. Bill text can be found here.

“Veterans in southeast Missouri were rightly outraged when the VA cancelled long-awaited plans for a new facility in Farmington, Missouri, and we’ve now learned this is all too typical of the VA’s process on projects like this,” said Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith. “We can’t — we won’t — let the Department run out the clock on our nation’s heroes and cancel needed facilities with bureaucratic red tape. That’s why I’m proud to introduce the Leasing and Infrastructure Act of 2025, which greatly reduces the amount of time the VA can tie up a project in a regulatory black hole. This legislation ensures the VA can focus on efficiency and providing the highest quality of care to those who served our nation.”

To learn more about proposed reforms to VA’s leasing and construction process for new VA facilities, click here. Bill text can be found here.

“It’s been more than a quarter century since Congress last updated VA’s procurement and contracting framework – despite the fact that these authorities shape how the Department purchases lifesaving medical technology and manages large-scale services that Veterans rely on every single day. Allowing such outdated practices to persist is not only a disservice to the Veterans we serve, but also undermines Congress’s Article I duty to ensure federal agencies are accountable and responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars,” said General Bergman. “This bill brings VA’s contracting framework into the modern era by improving how medical implants are acquired, streamlining billing for surgical procedures, and requiring congressional authorization before the Department enters into any procurement or contract. These reforms will help ensure VA’s contracting practices put our Veterans first, and I’m proud to lead this long-overdue effort.”

To learn more about proposed reforms to VA’s contracting and procurement processes, click here. Bill text can be found here.

“The Department of Veterans Affairs conducts vital research in the federal government, but lacks centralized coordination, efficient review and oversight, and dependable timelines,” said Dr. Murphy. “Our veterans deserve to receive swift attention to their healthcare needs; however, the bureaucratic process often forces veterans to wait unconscionable lengths of time to receive care. The VA Research Reform Act will effectively modernize how the VA-funded research is managed, streamlining every stage of the process to prioritize the well-being of veterans and remove barriers to timely care.”

To learn more about proposed reforms to modernize VA’s healthcare research processes to better serve veteran patients, click here. Bill text can be found here.