David Warren | Veterans Policy

Myths belong in storybooks, not policy debates. ❌ Now let’s debunk a few myths about the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act and set the record straight.🧵

THE QUESTION CONGRESS STILL HASN’T ANSWERED If you believe the Major Richard Star Act deserves to become law, why not let the House vote on it as a standalone bill? The Major Richard Star Act (H.R. 2102) has attracted 337 House cosponsors—an overwhelming bipartisan majority. Yet only 213 Members signed H.Res. 1247, the discharge petition that would force the bill to the House floor. That leaves one obvious question: If you publicly support the bill, why not sign the petition that would allow it to be voted on? WHAT CHANGED? As the discharge petition gained momentum and came within five signatures of success, Congress shifted its attention to the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (H.R. 9237). Instead of allowing a clean vote on the Major Richard Star Act, it was incorporated into a 554-page omnibus that also includes Section 108, which would codify revised disability rating criteria for future sleep apnea and tinnitus claims as part of the package’s offsets. For many VSOs and veterans, that changed the conversation entirely. THE SENATE ARGUMENT One of the most common arguments against completing the discharge petition is that a clean House bill would simply stall in the Senate. But consider the numbers. The Senate version of the Major Richard Star Act already has 79 bipartisan cosponsors. Those Senators represent 44 states and approximately 304.5 million Americans. That does not guarantee passage. It does demonstrate broad bipartisan support. The challenge has not been the number of supporters—it has been getting the legislation scheduled for a vote. A House-passed standalone bill would significantly increase the pressure for the Senate to address the legislation. THIS IS ABOUT ACTION Cosponsoring a bill tells veterans you support it. Signing a discharge petition demonstrates you’re willing to act when the normal legislative process has stalled. Those are not the same thing. Veterans are not asking Members to choose between veterans. We support the many bipartisan provisions contained in TCAVA. But many veterans also believe the Major Richard Star Act deserves to stand or fall on its own merits—not be tied to a larger package that includes Section 108. The House is just five signatures away from allowing that to happen. If you have already cosponsored the Major Richard Star Act but have not yet signed H.Res. 1247, veterans are asking one simple question: If not now, when? #MajorRichardStarAct #Veterans #TCAVA @RepMikeLawler @ZachNunn @RepMackenzie @repgabeevans @CongressmanKean

🚨 WE NEED YOUR HELP 🚨 Make sure your Members of Congress know the true impacts of this hurtful bill and tell them to VOTE NO on H.R. 9237 / S. 4744 when it comes to the Floor Take action: iavaaction.secure.nonprofits… #IAVA

Today, IAVA Director of Policy & Advocacy Jessica Finucan joined VSOs, advocates, and lawmakers at the "Don't Cut Veterans Benefits" press conference to oppose the Take Care of America's Veterans Act (H.R. 9237 / S. 4774). #IAVA

Of course, Republicans are ALLOWED to support the clean version of the Major Richard Star Act (H.R. 2102). The reality for them, though, is that the consequences for doing so could be brutal (loss of committee assignments and leadership roles, withheld campaign funding from NRCC and aligned donors, stalled bills, primary challenges, peer ostracism, and public labeling as disloyal). Those are the kinds of things that party leadership (on both sides of the aisle) does to those who "step out of line." The voting public's support and the massive bipartisan cosponsorship of H.R. 2101 show that veterans and their supporters back the clean version of the Major Richard Star Act over the omnibus Take Care of American Veterans Act. We need Republicans who have the cojones to be free thinkers, to listen to their constituents (the American voting public) and not party leadership, and refuse to tacitly support the TCAVA - a bill that represents the largest cut to veterans' benefits since the Great Depression.