Deluzio Leads Coalition of Democratic Veterans, Veterans Service Organizations, Labor Unions in Opposition to GOP Veterans Bill That Cuts VA Benefits

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman and Iraq War veteran Chris Deluzio (PA-17) led a press conference in opposition to H.R. 9237, the Take Care of America's Veterans Act, which cuts veterans benefits and further privatizes the VA.

Congressman Deluzio and his colleagues-House Veterans Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39), Reps. Pat Ryan (NY-18), Gil Cisneros (CA-31), and Dr. Raul Ruiz (CA-25)-joined in opposition to the bill with Everett Kelley, the National President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Randy Erwin, the National President of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), and representatives from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and the AFL-CIO's Union Veterans Council (UVC).

The GOP-led bill, the Take Care of America's Veterans Act, would strip the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of its care-coordination role, slash disability benefits-including for two of the most common disabilities, sleep apnea and tinnitus-and force veterans to pay more to use their VA home loan benefits during a housing affordability crisis.

The bill represents the latest step in Republicans' long-running efforts to privatize veterans' care and cut veterans benefits-this time, amid a War in Iran that has killed 13 U.S. servicemembers and wounded hundreds more.

"The Take Care of American's Veterans Act breaks America's sacred promise to our veterans: serve your country, then your country delivers the care and benefits you've earned and need," said Congressman Chris Deluzio. "If this bill passes, servicemembers would return from Trump's reckless Iran War to a weaker VA with poorer healthcare and fewer benefits. Our message here is clear: don't cut veterans benefits-not now, not ever. Republicans should join me in supporting the discharge petition to pass the Major Richard Star Act."

"Veterans' benefits are not offsets. When service members take their oath to protect and defend our country, we thank them with a promise to take care of them when they take off their uniform. It is reprehensible that Republicans are considering breaking that promise to one generation of veterans to pay for benefits for another," said House Veterans Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano. "That is why I oppose the 'Taking Benefits from America's Veterans Act' and urge my Republican colleagues to support my discharge petition for the Major Richard Star Act instead."

"Pitting veterans against veterans is the worst kind of betrayal. We shouldn't have to tear critical benefits away from our nation's heroes to fund programs for others - especially not when the Pentagon has a $1.5 TRILLION budget and seemingly endless cash for Trump's war in Iran," said Congressman Pat Ryan. "Brave men and women sign up to serve because they trust us to have their backs. They trust that when they get home, the country they fought for will be ready to embrace them. This bill breaks that sacred trust."

"The so-called 'Take Care of America's Veterans Act' does nothing of the sort. This bill constitutes the largest cut to veterans benefits in a generation. In pushing through this shameful bill, House Republicans are not only harming our veterans, they're also completely ignoring the overwhelming support behind passing the standalone Major Richard Star Act," said Congressman Gil Cisneros. "I'm proud to support Ranking Member Takano's discharge petition, which would pass the Major Richard Star Act without any cuts to critical VA programs and benefits. When Republicans are ready to come to the table for serious negotiations, they can let us know."

"When Americans answer the call to serve, we make them a promise that their sacrifice will be honored in full," said Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz. "The Take Care of America's Veterans Act breaks that promise. It claims to fix the wounded veteran's tax, but it caps their benefits and takes PACT Act benefits away from 1.5 million veterans to pay for it. The solution is the Major Richard Star Act. No shortchanging. No caps. No cuts."

"A bill that calls itself the 'Take Care of America's Veterans Act' ought to live up to that name," said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. "It ought to walk the walk. Instead, this bill should be called the 'America's Veterans Beware Act.' This bill would eliminate or reduce benefits for up to 1.5 million veterans, cut $57 billion in future disability payments over the next decade, further privatize mental health services and VA clinical research, and strip thousands of VA psychologists of their workplace rights. If we are to keep our promise to take care of those who have served us, we cannot turn our backs on them, and we cannot weaken the system designed to care for them."

"NFFE strongly opposes the so-called Take Care of America's Veterans Act, a massive, deceptively titled legislative package that would strip veterans of earned benefits and weaken workplace rights for VA healthcare providers," said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. "Up to 1.5 million veterans would be affected by cuts to disability compensation to the tune of $57 billion over the next decade, among other reductions of critical programs. At a time when workplace morale is at record lows, this bill would also undermine collective bargaining rights for psychologists, harming the recruitment and retention of essential clinicians who provide direct care to our veterans. Veterans have earned these benefits through their service and sacrifice. Congress must reject these cuts and protect the healthcare we have promised to our military heroes."

"Buried inside [the Take Care of America's Veterans Act] are provisions that slash disability compensation for veterans with tinnitus and sleep apnea, that allow Congress to rewrite the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities through legislation instead of the established medical process, and that significantly increase fees for veterans using the VA Home Loan program-all to pay for the package instead of funding these priorities through the normal appropriations process," said Jess Finucan, Director of Policy & Advocacy of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). "We CANNOT accept legislation that takes benefits away from one group of veterans to pay for another. Veterans should never be used as the offset for helping other veterans."

"We reject the false premise that we must cut benefits for tomorrow's heroes or strip the rights of the workers who care for them to pay for the promises made to yesterdays," said Craig Romanovich, Executive Director of the AFL-CIO's Union Veterans Council (UVC). "To the lawmakers backing the bill: stop using veterans as political leverage. Protect our union VA workers and fund the Major Richard Star Act in the right way. A grateful nation pays its debts. It does not send veterans the bill."

Video of the press conference is available HERE, and photos are available HERE.

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