Mark Takano

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the ranking member for yielding me time. Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 3944, the fiscal year 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. Unfortunately, I must ask my colleagues to oppose this fundamentally flawed legislation as well. This is not a position I take lightly, and I lament that we have gotten to this point. As ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I have a sacred duty to care for our Nation's veterans, regardless of their race, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or politics. To fulfill this solemn promise, I am committed to doing all we can to ensure that we have a well-functioning Department of Veterans Affairs. We must also ensure the VA has adequate funding to do the job we ask it to do. As such, any time veterans legislation is on the floor, I ask two main questions. One is: Does this bill improve access and delivery of care and benefits for veterans, their dependents, and their survivors? Two is: Does it provide appropriate resources to VA to get the job done? Unfortunately, despite its price tag, this bill fails on both accounts. Mr. Chair, at best, I could say this bill is premature. VA has not yet seen fit to provide Congress with full and complete justification for its budget request. We have no clear idea how VA intends to spend the money we would be appropriating through the Department. At worst, I would say the Republican majority has rushed forward with a bill that is completely divorced from our current reality, one in which VA Secretary Collins is planning to callously fire 80,000 VA employees without regard to the impact on delivery of healthcare and other services. My Republican colleagues have thoughtlessly rubberstamped a budget proposal that accelerates privatization of veterans' healthcare; threatens progress on ending veteran homelessness; erodes access to disability benefits; guts VA IT modernization, unless someone happens to be one of the President's tech friends; and needlessly drags VA into MAGA Republicans' culture war. This bill contains numerous dangerous policy riders that hinder VA's ability to serve all veterans. Especially harmful are provisions that deny women veterans the full range of necessary medical care, including necessary reproductive healthcare which includes abortion care and counseling. On top of that, this bill abandons the premise that all veterans deserve the same level of care they have earned, by cruelly and heartlessly subjecting LGBTQ+ veterans to the bigotry that characterizes this administration. The unpatriotic attack against transgender servicemembers continues in this bill as an unsparing attack against transgender veterans.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chair, if that wasn't bad enough, this bill continues the harmful Kennedy amendment rider. This shortsighted, dangerous provision prevents VA from protecting beneficiaries and those around them from potential harm, beneficiaries with debilitating mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, dementia, and bipolar disorder. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote against this appropriations bill.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for organizing this critical Special Order hour to shed light on the horrors inflicted on immigrant communities by the Trump administration. I am proud to represent the Inland Empire of southern California just east of Los Angeles. My district is home to a thriving immigrant community. It has been enriched by immigrants just like so many other communities across the country. In recent weeks, this community has been plagued by fear. Images of masked agents dragging people out of cars, using excessive force, and disappearing individuals in unmarked cars are sowing fear. We cannot allow this to continue. Make no mistake, this is all on President Trump. The President has instructed ICE to meet arbitrary deportation quotas. Their aggressive and baseless target number of 3,000 daily arrests does not require them to focus on violent offenders and criminals. Instead, mothers and fathers who have been in this country for years with no criminal record and who have raised their children in the United States are being targeted. This administration's claim that it aims to deport violent criminals is a falsehood. What we are witnessing is the erosion of due process. I have been especially troubled by the image of a landscaper, a man whose sons have served in the Marines, being punched repeatedly in the head by ICE agents this past Sunday. Is this something my Republican colleagues are proud of? That we repay veterans of the United States Marine Corps by assaulting, detaining, and deporting their father who was simply trying to provide for his family? Last week, I joined several of my colleagues to tour the Adelanto ICE detention center. Thanks to the work of my colleague, Representative Judy Chu, our delegation was able to enter the facility to conduct an oversight visit and speak with some of those being detained. What I saw was people held in deplorable conditions, many of them being denied access to clean clothes for 10 days. Immigrant detention is a multimillion-dollar industry with some private prison groups now aiming to cash in on the funding included in the Republican spending bill. The GEO Group that owns Adelanto boasted about a $31 million windfall if they keep full capacity. Republicans want to boost the funding of ICE to hire more masked agents and pay out more contracts like that at Adelanto. According to my Republican colleagues, our budget is too tight to provide healthcare or groceries for those in need, it is too tight to keep hospitals in rural areas open, but it is flush with enough cash to pay for more masked agents and more inhumane detention facilities for those who are beaten and dragged off the street. This is not who we are. This is not the character of our country. I don't think my Republican colleagues understand the gravity of their silence. It seems they have been silenced from speaking out against this brutality due to their fear of this President. They are even too afraid to hold townhalls to face their own constituents directly. It is sad that many Members of Congress have rolled over and enabled this cruelty that is now happening in our country. There are Members on this side of the aisle who have not been silent, who have actively opposed this President and will continue to speak out. Democrats will continue to be a check against this President. We will continue to fight for the due process rights of every American. We will continue to show up in our communities so that the American people can see that there are some Members of Congress who will actually listen to and fight for them.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the incredible contributions of one of the most dedicated staffers in Congress, Benjamin Hong Starr. Ben first came to my office as a Victory Institute fellow, before joining my staff officially as a staff assistant. Ben not only excelled in, but innovated upon, this position--implementing strategies and policies that continue to this day. From making constituents feel at home to battling the rats in the House Office Building basement, Ben proved there was no challenge he could not face. Ben's unique abilities, professionalism, and dedication are apparent to all who across paths him. Throughout the nearly four years Ben was in my office he continued to exceed expectations in every role he was assigned. As a part of my legislative staff, he continuously found new ways to address the needs of California's 39th district. From spearheading efforts to improve air quality to advancing consumer protections, Ben consistently demonstrated the same zealous ingenuity that made even the most complex issues seem solvable. As Ben moves into his new role with the Congressional Progressive Caucus, I could not be prouder of the impact he has already made on behalf of the Inland Empire. I, and every person whose life Ben has touched, will be watching as he continues helping to create a better world. I congratulate Ben and thank him for his service.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, in just 1 week, this administration has conducted raids into my community to meet arbitrary deportation quotas. They have unnecessarily sent National Guard and marines, which have only inflamed peaceful protest, and they have thrown down to the ground a U.S. Senator, my U.S. Senator, and handcuffed him for trying to ask questions to DHS Secretary Noem. This is happening because the administration does not like that they have different opinions from the State of California. My constituents deserve more from their President, and our democracy deserves more from the President. I stand with all Californians who want to keep pushing, keep using our voice, and keep peacefully protesting the actions of this lawless President.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this big billionaire payout. We are voting in the dead of night, out of sight of the American people, because the Republican majority knows that the public will be outraged after they find out what is in this bill. It strips health insurance from nearly 14 million people across the country. It puts 11 million people on food assistance at risk of hunger. It increases the deficit by $2.3 trillion. For what? To give billionaires a tax break. Don't just take my word for it. The independent data crunchers at the Congressional Budget Office found that the richest 10 percent of Americans would see their incomes go up, while the poorest 10 percent would see theirs go down. This bill is reverse Robin Hood. It takes from the poor and gives to the rich. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this shameful bill.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in hesitant support of H.R. 1969, the No Wrong Door Act, as amended. This bill would reauthorize the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, or Fox grants, for fiscal year 2026. As the ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, one of my top priorities has been and will continue to be veteran suicide prevention. The Fox grant program is an important tool in our arsenal for this work. Community-based programs are a crucial part of a public health approach to suicide prevention. However, I do have significant concerns with this legislation's approach to reauthorizing this program. We must ensure that we reauthorize this program in a way that ensures it is as effective and robust as possible. I would like to take this time to highlight some of those concerns. First, based on congressionally mandated reports that the committee has received, VA has not established enough metrics to allow Congress to monitor the success of the program. Additionally, in our view, grantees are not collecting or reporting complete data for all participants, which further limits Congress' ability to determine whether the program is meeting its intended purposes. It is clear that this bill, as drafted and amended, will not do enough to improve data collection and make clear what data grantees are responsible for collecting. This bill would also compound this issue by requiring grantees to use the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale to screen participants for their baseline mental health when entering the program. While this scale is a widely accepted, clinically validated behavioral health screening instrument, its primary use is to measure a patient's suicidal ideation and the severity of suicidal risk at a given point in time. VA already requires Fox grantees to screen their participants using a number of other validated screening tools, both at baseline and after connecting veterans to additional support. Each of these tools measures other upstream factors of mental health that contribute to veterans' suicide risks, such as levels of emotion, optimism, work satisfaction, and social support. Limiting grantees to the use of a single screening instrument that measures suicide risk at a point in time will further limit our ability to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the Fox grant program on improving veterans' mental health. Perhaps more importantly, Congress is not and should not be in the business of mandating the use of a particular clinical tool. Not only does it micromanage providers or grantees in terms of determining the most clinically appropriate tool, but it also arbitrarily limits providers and grantees from using a different tool in the future if it is determined to be more effective. Finally, I remain concerned about language that would dramatically alter the entities that would be eligible to receive grants. Specifically, we oppose language that would add ``healthcare providers'' as eligible grantees. The Fox grant program was designed to allow community-based organizations to help address upstream suicide risk factors and provide services to support veterans' needs. It was never intended to directly provide clinical care, particularly mental health care. Combined with my existing concerns about the bill's lack of requirements to strengthen data collection and demonstration of effective outcomes, I remain extremely concerned that opening eligibility up to new types of grantees without establishing additional definitions, guardrails, or oversight will weaken the quality of care provided to veterans. In its current form, H.R. 1969, as amended, does not reauthorize this grant program in a way that will meet the needs of our veterans. Just 2 weeks ago, we held a markup where my Republican colleagues rejected several amendments to improve this version of the bill, including an amendment I offered that would have at least partially addressed my concerns. Thus, the bill that we are considering today is not one that considers any of the areas of improvement that I had hoped could be incorporated into the legislation at the community level. Mr. Speaker, I believe that Senator Warner's bill to reauthorize this program, S. 793, is a better starting place that will help ensure that we reauthorize the strongest possible version of this grant program. I hope we will have an opportunity to engage in robust renegotiation and discussion with my Republican colleagues and our Senate counterparts to ensure we advance the strongest possible bill to prevent veteran suicide. That said, while I have serious concerns about how this bill would reauthorize the program, I want to make clear that I understand that this grant program is a critical piece of VA's efforts in ensuring veterans receive the outreach, support, and services they need and deserve when it comes to their mental health. Therefore, I hope that, moving forward, we can work together, along with our Senate counterparts, to reauthorize the Fox Grant Program in a responsible way and ensure it is as effective and robust as our Nation's veterans deserve. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to share my position on H.R. 1969, the No Wrong Door for Veterans Act, as amended. I will always be supportive of efforts to prevent veteran suicide, but I remain concerned that this bill does not do enough to ensure the Fox Grant Program is working as intended. Veterans deserve our best legislative efforts, not legislation that creates more problems than it solves and that does not take steps to improve suicide prevention efforts. That being said, I will not stand in the way of forward progress on veteran suicide prevention efforts, but I strongly urge my House and Senate colleagues to work with us to ensure that final reauthorization of this program is as robust as possible. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 217, the CHIP IN for Veterans Act, as amended. Now more than ever, VA needs flexibility and creative methods to address its infrastructure needs. This legislation extends through 2031 a pilot program that allows VA to accept donations of properties to meet its strategic capital investment project needs. It also expands the types of donations that VA can accept, to include minor construction and nonrecurring maintenance projects. VA's infrastructure needs are estimated to be over $150 billion, and those needs are growing every day. The average age of VA medical centers is over 60 years old, and many have retrofitting and maintenance needs that are not addressed under VA's existing budget requests. This pilot program presents an opportunity to find creative solutions, where possible, to address VA's infrastructure needs. Non- Federal entities may donate either real property that already includes a constructed facility or that can be used as a site of a new facility constructed by the donor, or entities may donate a facility to be constructed on property VA already owns. Under the CHIP IN for Veterans Act, donors must independently donate the real property, improvements, goods, or services for the project in an amount acceptable to VA and at no additional cost to the government. So far, VA has received donations resulting in two medical facilities, an ambulatory care center in Omaha, Nebraska, which began seeing patients in 2020, and an inpatient medical center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is expected to open next year. Under the existing CHIP IN for Veterans Act authority, VA has only been able to accept donations that result in major construction projects, which are projects for which Congress has appropriated at least $20 million. H.R. 217, as amended, would expand the CHIP IN program to include minor construction and nonrecurring maintenance projects. This would allow VA to accept donations of smaller outpatient clinics or to make improvements or build additions to existing facilities. Hopefully, with this expanded authority, VA will be able to attract even more donations. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 217, the CHIP IN for Veterans Act of 2025, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 217, the CHIP IN for Veterans Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1147, the Veterans Accessibility Advisory Committee Act of 2025, as amended. This bill establishes an advisory committee that brings disabled veterans' voices into the fold and provides a seat at the table with top decisionmakers at VA. Access is an issue I have sought to champion during my time in Congress and particularly during my time with the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Disabled veterans still face many barriers in accessing the care and services they have rightfully earned. Those barriers deserve the time and attention of a VA advisory committee so that experts can come together to improve how veterans with disabilities access their care and benefits. Advocates like the Blinded Veterans Association, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Disabled American Veterans have been tireless voices in our communities, raising awareness of these issues. Establishing a veterans accessibility advisory committee will provide a direct line for these voices to be heard and for change to be made at VA so that all veterans can access their care and benefits with ease. In a time of drastic change at the Department, while President Trump and Secretary Collins are at the helm, ensuring disabled veterans have a voice at the table is more important than ever. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 1147, the Veterans Accessibility Advisory Committee Act of 2025, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1286, Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act, as amended. Time and time again we hear from veterans that they cannot make heads or tails out of some of the forms necessary to access veterans' benefits. Not only have we heard it from veterans, but we have also heard it from accredited experts who assist in preparing disability claims. This must be corrected. We cannot have veterans leaving earned benefits on the table because they put a piece of information on a line below where it should have been because the form was hard to understand. It is not a stretch to think of a veteran attempting to file for a claim in their later years when their eyes don't see as well or they can't remember all the minute details from service long ago. That can be a frustrating experience, and H.R. 1286 proposes that the VA enter into an agreement with a federally-funded research and development center to assess the forms VA is currently using. Sometimes, when you are so close to a problem, it is hard to see what the core of the issue is. This bill will allow fresh eyes to review and study the forms VA uses in order to find areas for improvement. These could be small fixes that lead to positive improvement in a veteran's life. As we work to better the veterans' experience, we should be looking at making large programs better. We should be looking at building new state-of-the-art facilities with technology that integrates seamlessly between agencies, doctors, and departments. We should be making big changes which make big impacts, but we should also commit to small changes that can also improve the veteran experience. That is what this bill does. It starts to move in the direction of making forms easier for our veterans to review, complete, and ultimately get their earned benefits. I support this bill and the agreement to enter into a study to see where there is room for improvement as veterans seek better access to their earned benefits. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill and to continue to advocate for a better veteran experience, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 1286, Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1815, the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act, as amended. We are, unfortunately, here to solve a crisis of the Trump administration's own making. Due to the unilateral actions of President Trump and Secretary Collins, over 80,000 veterans, servicemembers, and their families are now facing foreclosures on their homes. Let's review how we got here. Our Nation faced an unprecedented crisis with COVID-19. That required action from VA to prevent the loss of hundreds of thousands of homes when our economy ground to a halt. President Biden, with the support of Congress, took action. First, the President used existing authorities to pause foreclosures. Then with the authorities granted by the national disaster declaration, the VA was able to implement a partial claims program, very similar to this very legislation we are considering today, saving tens of thousands of veterans from losing their homes. Mr. Speaker, Republicans, including Chairman Bost, urged President Biden to end the U.S. national emergency for COVID-19, which occurred on April 11, 2023. Mr. Speaker, this resulted in VA losing authorities to carry out a partial claims program, again, not unlike the legislation we are considering now. At that moment, action was still critically needed. Our veterans would have lost their homes. The VA could no longer offer a partial claims program because, of course, the national emergency was ended, so President Biden instituted a second foreclosure moratorium to give VA more time to offer a solution. Mr. Speaker, President Biden and Secretary Denis McDonough began to work in 2023 and launched the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase program, or VASP, on May 31, 2024. During that year, most lenders cooperated, and very few veteran foreclosures occurred. This new program, VASP, used explicit existing authorities granted by Congress to offer veteran homeowners a last resort before losing their homes. However, last month, Secretary Collins, President Trump, and Elon Musk's DOGE abruptly ended the VASP program, giving veterans no notice that a critical lifeline for borrowers was being taken away. This decision was pushed for and celebrated by Chairman Bost and Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Chairman Van Orden. If the Speaker listens to them, they will argue that the program meant that VA would incur too much risk or that VA was not properly prepared to handle holding the loans of these veterans. Just so we are all clear, VA already holds the risks for loans in the home loan program. The program is called the Home Loan Guaranty Program. VA is guaranteeing that lenders are made whole if a veteran is foreclosed on. The lenders collect the interest, profit from the loan, and if a foreclosure happens, the lenders are paid first. Mr. Speaker, I will read from the VA's own website: ``A VA home loan guaranty means that a purchaser obtains a loan through a private lender, such as a bank, credit union, or mortgage company. VA then works with the lender to guarantee the loan. If the homeowner defaults on the loan, VA will pay the debt to the lender.'' Second, the claim that VA doesn't know how to manage property or hold loans is just plain wrong. VA has an extensive property management portfolio. VA testified before our committee earlier this year on its ability to hold the loans. VA already has enhanced-use leases on nearly 40 of its campuses, meaning VA is acting as a landlord that is managing property being used by lessees. Further, President Trump recently announced his intentions to own a massive housing property at the West L.A. campus. I look forward to working with the administration to make this happen, and this absolutely is evidence of VA's ability to manage land and properties. Mr. Speaker, today, I and Members of Congress continue to field calls from veterans who learned from a press release that they are likely to lose their homes. These are veterans who saw the Secretary's April 25 notice that the program was ending. These are the very same veterans who tried to apply for the program and who found out that the program had already closed. Mr. Speaker, the May 1 closing date was deceptive. In reality, these veterans would have had to have submitted their paperwork much earlier in April. This is outrageous and cruel. In the chairman's State of Illinois, over 2,000 borrowers face foreclosure. In the bill sponsor's State of Wisconsin, over 600 borrowers face foreclosure. In my State of California, over 4,000 borrowers face foreclosure. I could go on and on, but these borrowers had options to avoid foreclosure. Yet, these options are now severely limited. Many of these veterans are now afraid of speaking out against the VA in fear of retribution. They are disabled veterans, Vietnam war-era veterans, Gulf war veterans, and Active-Duty military members. These veterans and these soldiers had our backs. Where is the Trump-Collins VA? It is unnecessarily pushing them into risk of foreclosure. As mortgage rates on the open market remain high compared to recent years and with the closure of the VASP program, the only options available to these borrowers are either selling their home or being foreclosed upon. As VASP was the program of last resort, ending VASP has accelerated the risk to these borrowers. Mr. Speaker, that brings us to the legislation we are considering today. This legislation attempts to offer a lifeline to those the Trump administration has unnecessarily put at risk. It is not a perfect or a complete fix, and it is likely to be too late for many of the 80,000 who are wondering today if they will still have a home in a month. Yet, it is necessary legislation that I urge the Department to implement quickly. In the minority views filed for this legislation, I continue to urge the Secretary to reinstate some kind of assistance for veteran borrowers until this legislation is signed into law and implemented. That will take some time. Every veteran who loses their home will have no one to blame but President Trump and Secretary Collins. Mr. Speaker, it is not too late for Secretary Collins to act, and I hope veterans, VSOs, and housing groups continue to call on him to do so. I also call on my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to join those efforts instead of celebrating the end of VASP. Mr. Speaker, I plan to support H.R. 1815, as amended, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it. This legislation should be expanding existing options for veterans to make veteran home foreclosures extremely rare and occurring only in the most extreme cases. Instead, this is a Band-Aid that likely will arrive too late for many. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I point out that the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost), the chairman, is making a mountain out of nothing. The greater risk either way to the government, the home loan program, the VA is on the hook for these loans whether they hold them, or whether lenders hold the note. What we are talking about here is 80,000 veterans with highly distressed loans being unnecessarily put at risk, and the Biden administration did what it could given changing circumstances from an expiring emergency authority, to having to put a second pause on any foreclosures on these veterans, to finding a solution in VASP. I am supportive of a replacement to VASP, but it is inexplicable why the Secretary would suddenly, without notice, end the program for veterans who very much right at this very moment would have liked to have applied for VASP before it had been terminated. Yet, as we speak, there is no solution. Regardless of how quickly we move in this Chamber or in the Senate, it is going to take time to stand up this replacement program in time. Meanwhile, we will see veterans lose their homes, all for a very flimsy reason. Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation, but context is important. This legislation is now critically important because of recent actions by this administration. This legislation also includes funding for the homelessness programs passed as part of the Elizabeth Dole Act last Congress. The Trump- Collins VA continues to drag their feet on sections of the Dole Act that increase our ability to get homeless veterans housed and off of the streets. Mr. Speaker, I will address Chairman Bost's remarks that the reason portions of the Dole Act were not implemented, regarding the grant and per diem sections for the homeless, were due to the Biden administration's failure. This is not true. The Biden administration clearly articulated the policy needed in the Dole Act. The chairman failed to include those in the bill before passage last Congress. Now, the Trump veteran housing crisis first cuts off foreclosure assistance, driving veterans into homelessness, then blocks aid to homelessness providers. My colleagues want to claim today that we are fixing the Trump veteran housing crisis, but if they are serious, they need to join our calls for immediate action by Secretary Collins. First, we need to implement the Dole Act, including the section on augmentations to the grant and per diem program for getting homeless off the streets. We need to stop the firing of veterans working at VA. We need to halt veteran foreclosures until, at the very least, the legislation we are considering today has been implemented. We need to bring back VASP to offer borrowers more avenues to keep their homes; otherwise, President Trump may see the number of homeless veterans double in a single year. I will close by saying, again, that I support H.R. 1815, the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act, as amended, but action is truly needed before it is too late. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in hesitant support of H.R. 1823, the VA Budget Shortfall Accountability Act of 2025, as amended. This bill requires the U.S. Government Accountability Office to conduct a review of the circumstances surrounding the budget shortfalls at the Veterans Benefit Administration in fiscal year 2024 and at the Veterans Health Administration in fiscal year 2025. Upon completion, GAO will submit the report to VA, which must transmit it to the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Appropriations Committees. GAO is then required to complete five subsequent annual reviews of VHA's and VBA's budget execution for the preceding fiscal year. I am concerned that this legislation is duplicative of reports that have already been published by VA's Office of Inspector General, and of work GAO is currently conducting that was initiated under the Comptroller General's authority. It is especially concerning that we are considering H.R. 1823 today, given the context of the letter Chairman Bost recently sent to the Department of Justice, urging the Attorney General to investigate three former Biden administration officials for criminal wrongdoing in handling last year's budget shortfall. This bill should be viewed as political retaliation. It is not serious oversight. Give me a break. The reports recently issued by OIG have already determined that VA's existing accounting and budget technological infrastructure is a primary cause of the shortcomings in VA's monitoring of budget execution that led to the VBA and VHA shortfalls in fiscal years 2024 and 2025, respectively. This bill does nothing to address that and other underlying causes, and instead seems to be designed to reopen investigation of previous errors. GAO's resources could be put to better use on more meaningful oversight of VA's budget formulation and execution process to include the role of the Office of Management and Budget in determining VA's annual budget requests. This legislation will not accomplish that. While I find the intent of the bill to be retaliatory in nature in terms of the time it will waste looking back on the Biden administration budget, I do agree with my majority colleagues that the Trump administration budget formulation and execution process warrants scrutiny. For that reason, I am pleased that the majority added a provision to the bill before markup that requires GAO to review VA's budget each year of the Trump administration. Secretary Collins has already broken the law by redirecting funds without congressional approval, and I worry that trend will continue over the next 4 years. I hope my colleagues will join me in rigorous oversight of the Trump administration's approach to VA's budget. I will not stand in the way of this bill's passage today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to share my position on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2201, the Improving VA Training for Military Sexual Trauma Claims Act, as amended. I think we can all agree that no one should ever, ever be subject to sexual violence while serving in the military. It is truly a tragedy that it happens at all, but sadly, it does. Unfortunately, it occurs to many men and women in our military ranks at a rate likely greater than that of the general public. That means that among some of the best people our country has, there are far too many who have been violated in the most personal of ways. Far too often, sexual assault in the military is perpetrated by those in positions of power, and far too often, these assaults are swept under the rug by the chain of command with the poor excuse that this is being done to avoid disrupting unit cohesion. This means that the victims of sexual assault are left to serve with and under their assailants, watching them go unpunished for their crimes. This is a double indignity that no one should ever have to suffer. Sexual trauma is unlike any other trauma. It has the ability to separate someone from their own body. It can make someone feel like they are a stranger in that body. It can make them feel unsafe in their own skin. The effects of this trauma are heartbreaking and can be lasting. Asking victims of sexual violence to speak about it or provide physical evidence relating to it can be retraumatizing. Currently, the Department of Veterans Affairs requires that personnel managing claims of this type receive training on the subject every 5 years. That seems like a long time between training for such a sensitive subject and a unique type of concern, especially as the study and treatment of these issues evolves rapidly and new best practices are developed and implemented. When it comes to the treatment of military sexual trauma compensation claims, I think it is worth revisiting training annually to ensure that we are giving these veterans proper care and treatment. H.R. 2201 is an effort to add a little more care and compassion to the process of disability claims of this nature. We routinely advocate for veterans and their well-being in our committee, and this bill does just that. By mandating that providers have more frequent and updated training, we can ensure better outcomes for the veteran. It is something we must keep pushing for. Every day, we must work to build a better veterans' experience, and providing training more frequently can help us accomplish that goal. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2201 and to continue to press for better care for veterans. Mr. Speaker, for the victims of sexual assault out there who may be listening right now, they should know that they are seen and heard. I will continue to push for accountability for those who perpetrated the assaults, and I will push even harder to ensure these veterans get the compassionate care that they have earned and deserve. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Budzinski), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization and my good friend.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 2201, the Improving VA Training for Military Sexual Trauma Claims Act of 2025, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1364, the Automotive Support Services to Improve Safe Transportation Act, or ASSIST Act, of 2025, as amended. For disabled veterans, attending a medical appointment is often not a routine drive but, rather, can be a logistical and physical challenge. That is why Representatives Levin and Fletcher led the passage of the Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act of 2022 into law. This law allowed veterans to upgrade their vehicles every 10 years and authorized the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer mobility improvements to vehicles for the purposes of attending medical appointments. However, now that this landmark law has been implemented, oversight has led to the identification of some gaps in the types of mobility services currently authorized by law. This is where the ASSIST Act comes in. This legislation, led by Representative Barrett and co-led by Representatives Maggie Goodlander, Susie Lee, Jason Crow, and Eugene Vindman, expands the types of equipment and services that VA is authorized to provide. These are benefits and services these veterans have earned, and it is our duty in Congress to ensure veterans don't have to worry about how they will access the care they have earned through their service to our Nation. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Goodlander), my good friend and cosponsor of H.R. 1364. She currently serves on the House Committee on Armed Services and the Small Business Committee.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 1364, the ASSIST Act of 2025, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1578, the Veterans Claims Education Act of 2025, as amended. Obtaining veterans benefits can be confusing. The process can be cumbersome. Because of the complexity and scope of the VA and its programs, some veterans take to an internet search to figure out how to get their claims approved. It seems certain actors have figured out that in the confusion of the process, they can make a profit or, with claims specifically, hundreds of millions of dollars in profits. Oftentimes, when veterans log on and search how to get their claims submitted, they are greeted by a clickbait ad for claim sharks. These are the people who charge exorbitant fees, while assisting veterans in the preparation of their claims. Current law mandates that VA has a duty to assist in the initial claims preparation process. This duty exists to ensure that there are no financial barriers to veterans in having their claims prepared and adjudicated and that veterans experience a nonadversarial process. Moreover, there are thousands of veterans service organizations around the country who are willing and able to assist veterans for free. Those service officers have been vetted by VA, both for their character and competence. In the spirit of ensuring that veterans are made aware that they are entitled to this preparation assistance, the Veterans Claims Education Act mandates that VA websites prominently give veterans notice that they are entitled to free assistance from an accredited representative and how to find that assistance. Not only does it alert the veteran that they are entitled to assistance in their claims preparation at no cost but it also provides guidance on reporting bad actors like unaccredited claim sharks. The VA's accreditation process serves to protect our Nation's veterans from financial exploitation so that veterans are less likely to be at risk of incurring outrageous debts, as well as losing out on months of their benefits. Mr. Speaker, few people would think there is value in letting someone take 5 months of our paychecks just for reviewing our resume, right? Then why would we ever, ever be even remotely comfortable with someone taking 5 months of earned benefits away from our veterans? I strongly support this bipartisan bill as it would promote those actors who are doing claims preparation and processing the right way, not the ones who pay to be the first result on an internet search. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Peters for introducing this legislation. This bill allows us to direct veterans to representatives who have the skills, knowledge, and accreditation to help them, not to take advantage of them during the initial claims process. Mr. Speaker, today, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1578 and not just to stop there. I also urge them to continue to push back against claim sharks and to support legislation that reinstates the penalties that were in place to hold accountable bad actors who took advantage of veterans for years. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Peters), the author of H.R. 1578.