U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member, released a statement on July 16 following the decision by House Republicans to pull a planned vote on the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act. The legislation included a Republican proposal to cut benefits for nearly one million veterans currently eligible for disability benefits related to tinnitus and sleep apnea.
Blumenthal said, “It is clear Republicans do not have the support they need to pass the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act because of their unacceptable and unconscionable proposal to cut benefits for disabled veterans. It is equally clear there is bipartisan momentum behind the Blumenthal-Takano proposal to use unobligated and unspent Department of Defense funds to cover the costs of this bill. There are other viable ways to pay for this legislation, and Republican leaders must now come to the table to engage in meaningful bipartisan discussions about the path forward.”
The House decision followed a vote in which three House Republicans joined 207 Democrats in favor of a motion that would have replaced proposed benefit cuts with an alternative funding plan using unobligated Department of Defense funds. This alternative was developed by Blumenthal and Representative Mark Takano, who serves as Ranking Member on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Congressional Democrats and several Veterans Service Organizations have publicly opposed cutting veterans’ benefits as a means of funding. Last month, Blumenthal and 46 Senate Democrats sent a letter expressing their opposition directly to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins.
Yesterday, Blumenthal and Takano co-authored an op-ed raising concerns over requiring offsets for veteran programs while no offset was required for previous tax cuts passed last summer. The two also suggested compromise solutions that would not involve reducing veterans’ benefits.
The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee oversees national programs supporting veterans’ health care access, transition assistance, and benefit administration; it maintains offices within the U.S. Capitol complex and collaborates with agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to its official website.