Mike Bost

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 983) to Amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to disapprove courses of education offered by a public institution of higher learning that does not charge the in-State tuition rate to a veteran using certain educational assistance under title 10 of such Code, and for other purposes.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 983.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 983, offered by my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Van Orden). This bill would reduce tuition costs for Montgomery GI Bill Selected reservists by making them eligible for the same in-State tuition waivers. When a veteran uses other education benefits offered by VA, they are able to receive an in-State tuition. It is time to include MGIB Selected Reserves as another benefit that uses in-State tuition. Last Congress, under the Republican majority, the House passed legislation that would streamline benefits and protect taxpayers. This bill would continue that mission in the 119th Congress. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 983, and I reserve the balance of my time. April 1, 2025. Hon. Mike Bost, Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Bost: H.R. 983, the ``Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserves Tuition Fairness Act of 2025'', was referred primarily to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, with an additional referral to the Committee on Armed Services. H.R. 983 contains provisions within the Committee on Armed Services' Rule X jurisdiction. As a result of your having consulted with the Committee and to expedite this bill for floor consideration, the Committee on Armed Services will forego action on the bill. This is being done based on our mutual understanding that doing so will in no way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of the Committee on Armed Services with respect to the appointment of conferees, or to any future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or similar bills. I would appreciate your response to this letter confirming this understanding, and would request that you include a copy of this letter and your response in the committee report or in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of this bill. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Sincerely, Mike Rogers, Chairman.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1228, offered by my friend and colleague Representative Ciscomani of Arizona. This bill would ensure that VA prioritizes its care, services, and benefits for surviving family members of veterans as much as VA does for veterans. This bill would do so by requiring that the VA Office of Survivors Assistance conducts its mission within the Office of the VA Secretary. In 2008, Congress created the Office of Survivors Assistance to serve as the Secretary's principal adviser and resource on all VA benefits and services for veterans' surviving loved ones. However, the Biden-Harris administration moved this office from the Secretary's office to the Veterans Benefits Administration Pension and Fiduciary Service. This decision to hide the Office of Survivors Assistance near the bottom of the VA organizational chart reflected the Biden-Harris administration's lack of commitment to the surviving loved ones of our veterans. During the Biden-Harris administration, the Office of Survivors Assistance did not have a direct line to the Secretary on the care, services, and benefits offered by the VA offices, including those outside the VBA's Pension and Fiduciary Services that they did in the original bill of 2008. Mr. Ciscomani's bill will correct the Biden-Harris administration's disservice to survivors and would ensure survivors have a seat at the table again. The current administration supports this bill and is therefore as committed as I am to ensuring that the needs of the veterans' surviving families are prioritized by the VA. Now, I am proud to co-lead this bill with Representative Ciscomani on behalf of the surviving families of our Nation's heroes, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1228. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Ciscomani).

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, very clearly, I say to our veterans and the taxpayers that a partial claim bill would cure the problems that veterans are having with their home loans. If the ranking member and the other side of the aisle will work together with us, with the partial claim program, we can actually do that. By going down the path that he has just said--he says he is for the veterans. Apparently, he is only for the veterans today because the veterans of tomorrow will not have the program because it will break the bank. This is actually sensible. It is a way that we can do this. We can make sure our veterans are taken care of. We need to pass the bill that we were just discussing, which is H.R. 1228. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 586) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to study and report on the prevalence of cholangiocarcinoma in veterans who served in the Vietnam theater of operations during the Vietnam era, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 586, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 586, as amended, offered by Representative LaLota from New York, my friend and fellow veteran. Representative LaLota's bill would require VA to conduct a study and produce a report on the frequency of bile duct cancer for veterans who served in and around the Vietnam war. Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that many Vietnam veterans suffered greatly in service to their country. Thousands of Vietnam veterans still live with invisible and visible wounds of war today. My own uncle is one of them. He served in Vietnam and, like so many others, suffered debilitating injuries from his service. Sadly, many never received the treatment or recognition they deserved when they came home. Today, we are still learning about the full extent of the health risks these veterans faced, some of which weren't understood at the time. One risk may have come from something as simple and routine as eating local food during their deployment. Certain uncooked fish consumed in Southeast Asia are known to carry a parasite called a liver fluke. The parasite can cause infection and long-term scarring that may lead to bile duct cancer. This is a rare but serious illness here in the U.S. and one more commonly found in the region where our veterans served. This bill would require VA to study whether bile duct cancer is linked to service in Vietnam and whether this rare condition should be considered service-connected. One of VA's most important missions is to care for the injuries veterans sustain while they serve this country. This study would help uphold that sacred obligation. Mr. Speaker, I thank my fellow veteran, Mr. LaLota, for his leadership on this bill on behalf of our veterans. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 586, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaLota), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1039) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to seek to enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and development center for an assessment of notice letters that the Secretary sends to claimants for benefits under laws administered by the Secretary, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 1039, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1039, as amended. This bill was introduced by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Barrett), my friend and fellow veteran, and I am proud to be a cosponsor. H.R. 1039, as amended, would require VA to contract with a research entity to improve the notice letters VA sends to veterans and survivors who file claims for VA benefits. The VA provides veterans and their survivors information throughout the VA claims process. It is important for these notice letters to be understandable so that the veterans and survivors know their rights and how to navigate the claims process. I am pleased to see that the VA has recently improved some of their notice letters. However, hundreds of other VA letters are still difficult to understand. At a recent hearing, we heard from veterans' advocates that the VA needs help from outside experts, given the huge number of letters that VA must draft. We still hear from veterans that many of VA's letters are too long, filled with legal jargon, and contain information that is not relevant to their claims. These complex letters sometimes cause veterans and survivors so much confusion and stress that they just abandon their claims. As a veteran myself, I continue to receive long and complex letters. You shouldn't have to be a Member of Congress or an attorney to understand how the VA claims process works. H.R. 1039, as amended, would ensure that none of VA's notice letters discourage veterans from accessing the benefits they have earned. Representative Barrett's bill would ensure that VA sends veterans and survivors understandable notice letters so they can make informed decisions about their claims. Further, this modernization bill is supported by the administration. Mr. Speaker, I thank our veterans service organizations for their support of this commonsense bill. I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1039, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Barrett), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I join with the ranking member and ask all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 970) to amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to periodically review the automatic maximum coverage under the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance program and the Veterans' Group Life Insurance program, and for other purposes.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 970.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 970 offered by my colleague from Washington (Ms. Strickland). H.R. 970 would require the VA to regularly review and compare the maximum coverage for VA life insurance programs to keep them in line with the average cost-of-living changes. The maximum coverage of these programs is provided by law and under current law does not automatically adjust for changes in cost of living. Any increases in the maximum coverage for these programs require congressional action. We must ensure that we have all the data we need to make an informed decision on whether the maximum coverage has kept pace with the cost of living. The bill would help us do that by ensuring that the VA sends Congress the results of the VA review so that we can decide whether to adjust the maximum coverage for VA life insurance programs. We are duty bound to ensure that the families of our veterans are taken care of after their loved one passes away. This commonsense bill would provide us with the data to help Congress do just that. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 970, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 970, and I yield back the balance of my time.