01.31.25 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON
-
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
and
Health
Subcommittee
Ranking
Member
Julia
Brownley
sent
a
letter
to
the
Acting
Secretary
of
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA),
demanding
answers
about
the
future
of
VA’s
Center
for
Women
Veterans
and
VA’s
Center
for
Minority
Veterans.
Ms.
Lourdes
Tiglao,
Director
of
the
Center
for
Women
Veterans,
and
Mr.
James
Albino,
Director
of
the
Center
for
Minority
Veterans,
were
removed
from
their
offices
on
Wednesday,
January
29,
2025,
as
the
Trump
… Read More
01.29.25 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON
- Today, Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
made
the
following
statement
regarding
the
White
House
Office
of
Personnel
Management’s
email
offering
“buyouts”
to
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
employees.
“Elon
Musk
thinks
you
are
stupid
and
won’t
see
through
his
deceptive
and
fraudulent
“buyout”
offer.
VA
employees
should
ignore
his
email
and
send
it
to
the
trash
bin.
VA
employees,
thousands
of
whom
are
veterans
themselves,
keep
the
largest
integrated
healthcare
system
in
the
country
… Read More
01.28.25 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON
-
Today,
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
wrote
Acting
Secretary
of
Veterans
Affairs
Todd
Hunter,
urgently
seeking
information
about
how
new
guidance
from
the
White
House’s
Office
of
Management
and
Budget,
requiring
agencies
suspend
payments
to
federal
funding
recipients
by
today,
January
28,
2025,
at
5
P.M.,
will
affect
veterans.
“The
breadth
of
this
hasty,
ruthless,
and
irresponsible
mandate
will
directly
impact
every
community
in
America
and
will
immediately
jeopardize
public
health
… Read More
01.28.25 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON
-
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
is
demanding
answers
from
UnitedHealth
Group
(UHG)
after
its
admission
that
a
data
breach
impacted
190
million
people,
including
at
least
1.2
million
veterans.
Ranking
Member
Takano
criticized
the
company’s
delayed
and
incomplete
reporting,
urging
stronger
oversight
to
protect
veterans
from
private
sector
cybersecurity
failures.
Despite
the
breach
impacting
the
personal
data
of
at
least
1.2
million
veterans,
the
Committee
has
not
received
updated
data
… Read More
01.25.25 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON
-
Today,
Ranking
Member
Takano
joins
Rep.
Gerald
E.
Connolly,
Ranking
Member
of
the
Committee
on
Oversight
and
Government
Reform,
with
House
Committee
Ranking
Members
in
a
letter
to
President
Donald
Trump
condemning
his
attempted
late-night
purge
of
at
least
12
independent
inspectors
general,
which
appears
to
have
violated
federal
law
designed
to
protect
their
work
from
political
interference
and
intimidation.
The
Ranking
Members
wrote:
“We
write
to
express
our
grave
concern
… Read More
01.25.25 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON
-
Last
night,
President
Trump
fired
12
inspectors
general
of
major
federal
agencies,
including
Inspector
General
Michael
Missal
of
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA),
who
has
served
in
this
Senate-confirmed
position
since
2016.
Ranking
Member
Takano
said,
“This
late-night
purge
of
the
Inspectors
General
that
Congress
and
the
American
people
depend
on
for
transparency
and
accountability
in
our
government
is
not
only
reprehensible,
it
is
illegal.
These
firings
are
a
blatant
… Read More
01.23.25 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON
-
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
was
joined
by
House
Veterans’
Affairs
Committee
Democrats
in
a
letter
to
U.S.
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
Acting
Secretary
Todd
Hunter
about
how
VA
is
implementing
President
Trump’s
Inaugural
Executive
Order
to
freeze
hiring
across
the
executive
branch.
Despite
VA
reporting
more
than
40,000
vacancies
at
the
end
of
2024,
President
Trump’s
Executive
Order
was
issued
without
any
regard
for
the
impact
it
would
have
on
veterans’
access
to
healthcare
… Read More
01.22.25 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON
-
The
House
Veterans’
Affairs
Committee
held
a
hearing
today
entitled
"Restoring
Focus:
Putting
Veterans
First
in
Community
Care.”
Despite
being
the
first
hearing
about
community
care
since
Republicans
took
control
of
Congress
over
two
years
ago,
no
government
officials
or
contractors
were
present
to
answer
questions
about
problems
veterans
have
experienced
when
accessing
care.
Ranking
Member
Takano
said,
“I
want
to
say
to
our
witnesses
that
I
am
truly
anguished
by
the
unacceptable
… Read More
01.21.25 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON
-
On
Inauguration
Day,
President
Trump
issued
a
series
of
Executive
Orders
(EOs)
impacting
veterans
and
civil
servants
who
are
employed
by
and
seek
care
at
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA).
These
EOs
would:
Implement
a
hiring
freeze
across
the
federal
government;
Reclassify
many
federal
employees
with
fewer
job
protections;
Remove
VA
employees’
flexibility
in
remote
working
by
mandating
a
return
to
office;
and
Eliminate
key
diversity,
equity,
and
inclusion
(DEI)
… Read More
01.16.25 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today
during
the
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
119th
Congress
Organizing
Meeting,
Republicans
rejected
an
amendment
to
the
Committee
Rules
offered
by
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
to
increase
transparency
into
potential
financial
conflicts
of
interests
a
witness
testifying
before
the
Committee
may
have. This
amendment
would
complement
other
changes
the
Republicans
made
to
the
Committee
Rules
for
the
119th
Congress
that
require
disclosure
of
payments
or
… Read More
01.15.25 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today,
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
and
Committee
Democrats
elected
the
Vice
Ranking
Member
and
Subcommittee
Ranking
Members,
and
selected
Subcommittee
membership
during
the
Democratic
Organizing
Meeting.
“I
am
excited
about
our
Subcommittee
Ranking
Member
leadership,
which
includes
several
new
Subcommittee
Ranking
Members
who
bring
enthusiasm
and
a
new
perspective
to
the
issues
facing
veterans
and
the
Department
of
Veterans
… Read More
01.14.25 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
--
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
welcoming
the
Committee’s
newest
Democratic
members:
“As
we
begin
the
119th
Congress,
I
am
thrilled
to
welcome
our
committee
members,
both
new
and
returning.
We
have
a
diverse
group
of
members
who
are
ready
to
roll
up
their
sleeves
and
get
to
work
on
behalf
of
our
nation’s
veterans.
Our
members
bring
a
wealth
of
experiences
to
the
table
that
will
help
us
build
upon
… Read More
01.13.25 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
praising
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
Greater
Los
Angeles
(GLA)
Healthcare
System
for
its
ongoing
response
to
the
wildfires
in
Los
Angeles
County
and
communication
to
Congress:
“As
a
member
from
Southern
California,
I
have
seen
the
devastation
and
destruction
these
wildfires
continue
to
cause
in
and
around
LA.
Tens
of
thousands
have
lost
their
homes,
… Read More
01.08.25 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
As
the
118th
Congress
ends
and
the
Biden-Harris
Administration
winds
down,
Committee
Democrats
are
taking
the
time
to
reflect
on
our
achievements
supporting
veterans
over
the
last
four
years.
Despite
Republican
dysfunction,
Committee
Democrats
have
worked
with
the
Administration
to
improve
benefits
and
services
for
veterans
across
America.
Democrats
have
remained
steadfast
in
our
commitment
to
veterans'
welfare,
focusing
on
properly
funding
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
… Read More
12.18.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
delivered
the
following
opening
statement,
as
prepared,
during
this
morning’s
Full
Committee
Oversight
Hearing
about
the
Supreme
Court’s
Loper
Bright
decision:
“Thank
you,
Mr.
Chairman.
In
its
decision
in
Loper
Bright
Enterprises
versus
Raimondo,
the
Supreme
Court
overturned
forty
years
of
precedent
and
radically
transferred
power
from
the
legislative
and
executive
branches
to
the
judiciary.
And
contrary
… Read More
12.12.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today,
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
and
Representative
Neal
Dunn,
M.D.
(FL-02),
introduced
the
Supporting
Medical
Students
and
VA
Workforce
Act.
This
bill
will
help
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
address
physician
recruitment
and
retention
challenges
by
funding
the
education
of
veteran-oriented,
mission-focused
physicians.
“I
am
glad
to
work
with
Dr.
Dunn
on
this
bill
to
provide
assistance
to
students
who
are
pursuing
a
… Read More
12.05.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
delivered
the
following
opening
statement,
as
prepared,
at
the
beginning
of
this
morning’s
Full
Committee
Oversight
Hearing
on
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
funding
and
a
projected
Veterans
Health
Administration
(VHA)
shortfall:
“Thank
you,
Mr.
Chairman.
There
is
currently
rhetoric
coming
from
the
Right
about
veterans
being
on
a
‘payroll’
and
living
on
some
kind
of
taxpayer-funded
largess
because
… Read More
11.18.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
applauded
House
passage
of
H.R.
8371,
the
Senator
Elizabeth
Dole
21st
Century
Healthcare
and
Benefits
Improvement
Act.
This
package
includes
many
provisions
that
are
priorities
for
veterans
and
veterans
service
organizations
(VSOs).
“This
omnibus
package
of
veterans’
legislation
achieves
progress
on
many
of
the
goals
we
set
out
to
accomplish
at
the
beginning
of
the
118th
Congress,”
said
Ranking
… Read More
11.15.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC—
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
after
an
agreement
was
reached
on
the
Elizabeth
Dole
21st
Century
Veterans
Healthcare
and
Benefits
Improvement
Act:
“For
more
than
a
year,
House
Democrats
have
engaged
in
good
faith
negotiations
in
a
bipartisan,
bicameral
manner
to
ensure
this
package
best
serves
veterans
and
the
future
of
healthcare
at
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA).
Today,
I
am
pleased
to
… Read More
11.15.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
after
President-elect
Donald
Trump
announced
former
U.S.
Representative
Doug
Collins
as
his
Secretary
for
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA):
"I
worked
with
Doug
Collins
when
he
was
in
Congress.
And
I
look
forward
to
continuing
to
work
with
him
as
VA
Secretary.
We
have
made
tremendous
gains
in
the
last
four
years
expanding
healthcare
and
benefits
thanks
to
my
… Read More
