Republicans Pass Bare Minimum CR That Does Little to Support Veterans

WASHINGTON – Tonight, Republicans passed a partisan Continuing Resolution (CR), accomplishing the bare minimum and doing little to address veterans’ most urgent needs.

ACA subsidies, which over a million veterans rely on to afford coverage, are set to expire at the end of the year. Premiums are already rising and in some cases skyrocketing. Despite Democratic efforts to include relief, this Republican CR fails to address the looming healthcare crisis, leaving millions of veterans and their families without a resolution.

While the CR included fiscal year 2026 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (Mil-Con VA) funding, it once again fails to include advanced funding for the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund (COWTEF) for fiscal year 2027, as required by a bipartisan agreement in every appropriation measure since the PACT Act became law. COWTEF was established in the Honoring Our PACT Act to provide funding for veterans’ healthcare, toxic exposure research, and claims processing. Since enactment, VA has approved nearly two million PACT Act claims. Advanced funding is not optional; it is essential to ensure that VA’s work to implement the PACT Act continues unimpeded.

Republicans also rejected all five amendments offered by Ranking Member Mark Takano, which would have expanded and protected veteran benefits while strengthening VA’s ability to operate effectively.

The amendments would have:

• Safeguarded the Honoring Our PACT Act.
• Protected existing presumptive disabilities.
• Prevented reductions-in-force (RIFs) at VBA, BVA, or VHA
• Required annual Hatch Act training to prevent partisan influence and coercion in official VA communications.
• Established a presumptive service connection for toxic exposures experienced by veterans who served at the Nevada Test and Training Range, commonly known as Area 51, between 1955 and 1998.

“For the last month, House Republicans have used veterans as leverage in their shutdown brinkmanship — threatening firings, withholding pay for VA workers, and refusing to secure the advanced TEF funding VA needs to keep its promises. Tonight’s CR does the bare minimum and leaves too many threats unaddressed,” said Ranking Member Takano. “House Democrats will not stand by as Republicans attempt to dismantle VA, threaten healthcare, weaponize official communications for political means, and diminish veteran benefits. We will continue fighting for protections, expansion, and improvements, because veterans deserve a government as committed to them as they were to our nation.”

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