01.11.24 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC — House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39), delivered the following remarks during the Committee’s Oversight Hearing on rural veterans and their access to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare and benefits:
“Thank you, Chairman Bost.
Rural veterans and their families have long had to navigate an altogether different healthcare experience than their suburban and urban counterparts.
From hours-long drives to appointments, to housing
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12.21.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON DC- This year, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano continued his efforts to pass legislation that supports veterans and their families. Last Congress, when Ranking Member Takano was Chairman of the Committee, the Committee passed his bill, the Honoring our PACT Act (P.L. 117-168), which was the largest expansion of veterans benefits in 30 years.
“Working with the Republican Majority this year has been difficult, from their lack of organization to their
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12.15.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC - House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) released the following statement after the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced this year’s Point in Time (PIT) count numbers on homelessness in the United States:
“Today’s PIT count numbers are deeply concerning, especially as winter has arrived.
While the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is making tremendous strides in utilizing Housing First principles and quickly moving
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12.06.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-CA) and Chairman Mike Bost (R-IL) introduced the VA Correct Compensation Act (HR 6538), which amends existing law to allow for certain healthcare providers at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to grieve errors in their compensation.
Ranking Member Takano said, “Passing the VA Correct Compensation Act would be an important step towards ensuring that those who serve veterans received the correct
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12.05.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON,DC - House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) released the following statement after the House passed the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act and Housing our Military Effectively (HOME) Act with strong bipartisan support:
“While I fully support the goals of both of these bills, this is a hollow victory, because we already know further House action will be needed. Last week, my staff alerted the Majority’s staff that the language of the bills passed today was
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11.16.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC -- House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) released the following statement after the release of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, which showed a slight increase from 2020 to 2021 in veteran suicide deaths:
“A life lost to suicide is a tragedy, and sadly we saw an increase in both civilian and veteran suicide deaths in calendar year 2021 - the time period covered by this report.
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11.07.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) delivered the following remarks, as prepared, at the beginning of the Full Committee’s hearing on veteran employment and opportunity:
“Thank you, Chairman Bost. And thank you for holding this hearing on The Impact of America’s Businesses on Veteran Employment and Opportunity.
Before we begin, it’s impossible to discuss employment without addressing recent news in the automotive industry.
I’d
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10.27.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Democrats on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, led by Vice Ranking Member Chris Deluzio (PA-17), sent a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough, raising concerns about the dangerous lack of oversight of the opioid prescribing procedures for veterans who receive their healthcare outside VA.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report which estimated that 80% of non-VA Community Care Network (CCN) providers who
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10.26.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC - Over the summer, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs unanimously passed Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26)’s Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act (H.R. 542) out of Committee. It is currently awaiting a vote on the House floor.
The Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act would expand VA’s Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) to all Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers (VAMC), ensuring that veterans who need home care are able to receive it and avoid costly nursing
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10.26.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC -- House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) released the following statement after the Senate passed Senator John Kennedy (R-LA)’s dangerous amendment that would inhibit VA's efforts to protect the most vulnerable veterans and beneficiaries from harm:
“Over the summer our Committee held a hearing as Committee Republicans tried to ram through the highly-flawed Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act. Committee Democrats had major concerns about this
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10.23.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC - House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) and Subcommittee on Health Ranking Member Julia Brownley (CA-26) released the following statement in response to the Committee Republicans’ absurd fourth letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requesting veterans’ health information on abortion care:
“Committee Republicans’ most recent letter to VA about the Interim Final Rule on reproductive healthcare and the Department’s abortion policy is
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10.11.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC - Today House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) released the following statement after House Republicans almost shut the government down and have now forced work in the House to a halt with their Speakership fight:
“Many Americans might look at this chaos and dysfunction we are seeing from House Republicans and say that’s just DC politicians. They may think it might not affect them. But this has very real consequences.
House Republicans played
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09.19.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC - In case you missed it: House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) has been selected by Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) to receive one of its Legislator of the Year awards, which recognizes outstanding legislative effort and achievement to improve the lives of wounded, ill, and injured veterans.?
“I am honored to receive this award from the Wounded Warrior Project. In the 117th Congress I had the privilege of serving as Chairman of the House
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09.14.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) delivered the following remarks, as prepared, at the beginning of the Full Committee’s oversight hearing on the status and implementation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Electronic Health Record Modernization Program:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the witnesses for being here today to discuss this critical project at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
I want to start off by
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09.13.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) introduced the Ensuring Veterans’ Smooth Transition, or EVEST Act (H.R. 5416). By automatically enrolling eligible servicemembers in VA healthcare during their transition out of the military, the EVEST Act will simplify the transition process and take critical steps toward preventing veteran suicide.
“I'm proud to reintroduce this important, commonsense legislation that will simplify the
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08.09.23 • Press Release
RIVERSIDE, CA – House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) released the following statement after reports of technical difficulties with Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) PACT Act benefits application website just hours before the deadline to apply for backdated benefits:
“My staff has been briefed by VA about the small number of veterans who received an error message or experienced a system time-out while attempting to submit
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08.09.23 • Press Release
RIVERSIDE, CA— Yesterday, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Shereef Elnahal, visited the VA Loma Linda Health Care System. Together, they met with the local VA leadership team and union leaders, held a veteran roundtable, and conducted two VA employee town halls. They also visited the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans' Hospital in Loma Linda, CA; the VA
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08.08.23 • Press Release
RIVERSIDE, CA – Today House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) released the following statement after the announcement that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) have signed a new contract for over 300,000 employees:
“I applaud VA Secretary Denis McDonough, his team, and the dedicated civil-servants at AFGE for coming to an agreement that has been years in the making. Anyone who
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07.28.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Today House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) and House Committee on Agriculture Ranking Member David Scott (GA-13) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack in support of veterans experiencing food insecurity and their eligibility for food programs.
In the letter the members said, “We thank you for releasing guidance that defines ‘veteran’ for purposes of the SNAP exemption
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07.27.23 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) released the following statement after voting against the Military Construction/Veterans Affairs government funding bill:
“I fought to ensure the Toxic Exposure Fund (TEF), created by my law, the Honoring our PACT Act, would be fully funded through this year’s appropriations process to ensure toxic-exposed veterans can get the care and benefits they have earned. It is also
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