H.R. 982, Warriors to Workforce Act

Well, I would prefer to live free at this point, so.

Okay. So I'd like to recognize Mr. Pappas for any opening remarks he may have.

Thanks, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate how you always try to keep the work here as efficient as possible, and we all like quick markups, but I think it's important that we utilize the time on this subcommittee as best we can to debate and make improvements to legislation that's under consideration before us, not just giving them the green light and passing the buck to the full committee to take care of it. So many of the bills before us today were on our January legislative hearing. We received feedback on them from VSOs and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and as such, we should be using this time to take recommendations we received to give them the consideration that they are owed and updating legislation before us. That's what I intend to try to do today with amendments that I want to offer. Now, it can be tempting to say, well, just fix these bills at full committee, but that negates the very purpose of this subcommittee and the markup process. So as the Chair and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, I think we should be debating and working toward the best policy for these bills under consideration, and there's some really good, worthy bills that we're talking about today. This is our job, not something that we should just pass off to the full committee. So I understand that some of the legislation before us today is awaiting technical assistance still from VA. I also understand that some of my amendments today may get voted down by the majority because we only received the legislative text just yesterday from the majority and they might not feel like they have enough time to review them. To that, I would say there's no need to rush at the expense of better policy for our veterans. We're all after that. So Mr. Chairman, if bills aren't ready, still need work, or lack bipartisan agreement, let's keep working on them and let's not necessarily just force them through today. So I commit to you to working with you as closely as we possibly can on the bills before us under consideration and on all the other issues and priorities of our subcommittee, so I'm grateful for that. I just want to point out one additional fact here, and that's that we have an equal number of Democratic and Republican bills on the agenda today, so I'm grateful for that. I think this is a good sign of the bipartisanship of this subcommittee, but this is happening after an imbalance that occurred in previous markups of the subcommittee. So I think that we need to continue to look at the whole package of legislation that we've moved through the subcommittee and making sure that all points of view are reflected here. So I'm grateful for your leadership, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.

Thank you, Mr. Pappas. The Ranking Member yields back. Yeah, you know what, Chris, you're right. This, for saying this is a nonpartisan committee, it needs to be so. And this is going to sound like a shocking statement, but just because you're a Democrat doesn't mean you can't have great ideas. And a lot of the amendments that are here are great ideas. So I will now ask unanimous, excuse me, unanimous consent to consider the en bloc the following bills that do not have amendments: H.R. 7049, Improving the Mental Health Care and Coordination for Homeless Veterans Act; H.R. 3159, Improving SCRA Benefit Utilization Act; H.R. 5436, to amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit an educational institution from withholding a transcript from an individual who pursued a course or program of education at such institution using Post-9/11 educational assistance; H.R. 7150, to amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a quarterly report on housing loans insured, guaranteed, or under laws administered by the Secretary, and for other purposes; H.R. 1957, End Veteran Homelessness Act of 2025; and H.R. 1965, Veteran Education Assistance Adjustment Act. I would ask that the reading of the bills be dispensed with and that the bills be open to amendment at any point. Without objection, so ordered. I recognize myself for a moment to say a few words about these bills. These bills are going to require employees to conduct a VA homeless assessment and upload the assessment to the electronic health record to make sure that no veteran falls through the cracks. Increases the stipend for books, supplies, and other educational costs from $1,000 to $1,400 and allow for annual increase based on Consumer Price Index. Increase the HUD-VASH reporting requirements. I just want to take a second to speak about that very specifically. We have homeless veterans and it's unacceptable. And we have so much money sitting here in these HUD-VASH programs that people just don't know about. So when I go back to the district, they're like, "Why do we have homeless veterans?" I say, "Do you realize we have millions of dollars worth of HUD-VASH vouchers that are not being used and they have no idea?" And so Mr. Takano put this in and, you know, it's a great idea. So we need to get this done so that the moneys that we allocate as members of Congress actually get to these homeless veterans, and a lot of it's just an education process. So I'm actually very proud of Mr. Takano for doing that. Include information for the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act that would improve consumer financial protections to expand their financial literacy, prohibit educational institutions from withholding the transcripts of individuals who owe a debt to a school, provide additional reporting requirements on the loans guaranteed, insured by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Do any members wish to speak on any of the bills included in the en bloc? Hearing none, I now recognize Representative Barrett for a motion.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that the subcommittee favorably report H.R. 7049, H.R. 3159, H.R. 5436, H.R. 7150, H.R. 1957, and H.R. 1965 to the full committee.

Thank you very much. Mr. Pappas, we'll move that forward in a second, but I now recognize Ranking Member Pappas.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to be clear that I'm supporting this en bloc package. There are a number of good bills here. I will highlight a few of them: Representative McClain-Delaney's bill to improve service members' knowledge and utilization of their SCRA benefits; Representative Mannion's bill that will stop the practice of transcript withholding for veterans and family members using their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits; and Representative Whiteside's bill that will require VA to publish more data on the VA home loan program to ensure proper oversight. I also want to draw attention to Representative Vasquez's bill to raise books and fees that stipend for Post-9/11 GI Bill to match inflation. It's one that members will be hearing a lot about as veterans from VFW and Student Veterans of America will come to the Hill next week to tell us about their specific priorities. All four of these bills are non-controversial, have bipartisan support, and are good policies. I appreciate these members who may not be on our committee but nonetheless took an interest in veterans' issues, took the time to hear from veterans, and have presented us with policies to make VA better. The remaining two bills deal with veteran housing and security, and I'm glad we're finally taking action on these bills because it's our shared priority on this subcommittee. So the Chairman and I have come to an agreement to move both Mr. Valadao's Improving Mental Health Care and Coordination for Homeless Veterans Act and Ranking Member Takano's bill, which you mentioned, Mr. Chairman, the End Veteran Homelessness Act. As part of this agreement, the full committee will take up Ranking Member Takano's bill at the next markup. We'll work together to meet with and encourage our counterparts on the Financial Services Committee who share jurisdiction over the HUD-VASH program to take swift action here. The End Veteran Homelessness Act would be a huge step to quite literally end veteran homelessness by expanding the eligibility for HUD-VASH to housing-insecure veterans who have been ineligible or unable to access it. HUD-VASH is the most successful permanent housing program in history. This change will simultaneously increase voucher utilization while driving the number of veterans experiencing homelessness down to data points that have not budged over the last few years. This bill will put veterans that are currently homeless into permanent housing, and I look forward to working with Chairman Van Orden as we move this through the committee process. On Mr. Valadao's bill, we're awaiting technical assistance back from VA to help improve the bill, but we've also agreed that changes will be made to incorporate feedback from the testimony the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans provided in our January hearing and informal feedback received from providers and grantees serving homeless veterans. The Chairman and I further agreed to change the scope of the bill from VA homelessness program employees who are already largely required to do the assessments outlined in the original bill to cover all VA employees and those working with community partners. While the experts under VA homelessness program office will still do the assessments, we want to ensure that the people directly interacting with veterans experiencing housing insecurity are empowered and required to identify and connect these veterans and their families to resources. So we'll need to work through what this will look like for VA's community partners, how these changes will interact with VA's electronic health record, and if the VISN or VA central office will be responsible for these changes. There's certainly a lot of work to do on Mr. Valadao's bill, but these changes will be for the better, and I'm excited that we are moving two substantive bills addressing veteran homelessness. We still need to consider and advance Dr. Dexter's Every Veteran Housed and Mr. Riley's Veteran Housing Promise Act, two more freshman bills from freshman members that are committed to addressing housing insecurity among veterans. So moving H.R. 1957 and 7049 is a good start, and I hope we can continue this bipartisan momentum. I yield back.

The gentleman yields back. There is a motion on the table from Mr. Barrett to favorably forward bills included in the en bloc to the full committee. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no. In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and the bills are favorably forwarded to the full committee. The motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. It's kind of fun to do that once in a while. H.R. 5634, the Veterans Flight Training Responsibility Act of 2025. I now call up H.R. 5634, the Veterans Flight Training Responsibility Act of 2025. The clerk shall report the bill.

H.R. 5634, to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the responsibility of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the flight training of veterans, and for other purposes.

The bill was circulated in advance and pursuant to committee rules. Without objection, the first reading is dispensed with. The bill is open to amendment at any point. I now recognize myself for the purpose of offering an amendment in the nature of the substitute. The clerk shall report the amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 5634 offered by Mr. Van Orden.

I ask unanimous consent that the further reading of the amendment of the nature and the substitute is dispensed with. I ask that it be considered base text for the purposes of the markup. Without objection, so ordered. I now recognize myself for five minutes. This ANS is going to allow student veterans to use an entitlement up to $119,684 for flight training and tuition, excuse me, flight training tuition and fees. Currently, there is no overall limit on what the veteran can pay, but they can receive up to $29,920 a year in education benefits. This bill would prevent schools from continuing to overcharge veterans. It would also allow veterans to participate in flight training year-round. Additionally, it would create a transfer system from a hard cap to months and all, excuse me, unused benefits to be credited back to the veteran. Do any members wish to comment on the amendment in the nature of substitute to H.R. 5634?

Yes.

The Chair now recognizes Ranking Member Pappas.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just very briefly, I appreciate correcting the introduced language to match what the House last Congress passed, and so I'll support this ANS. I yield back.

The gentleman yields back. Are there any amendments to the amendment in the nature of substitute to H.R. 5634? Hearing none, the question now occurs on agreeing to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 5634. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no. In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and the amendment in the nature of a substitute is agreed to. The motion to reconsider has been laid upon the table. I now recognize Representative Barrett for a motion.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move the committee move the committee forward H.R. 5634 as amended favorably to the House of Representatives.

The question is on favorably forwarding the bill H.R. 5634 as amended to the full committee. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say no. In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 5634 as amended is forwarded favorably to the full committee. The motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. I will now call up H.R. 7083, the CRUISE Act. The clerk shall report the bill.

H.R. 7083, to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the centralized reimbursement of upgraded innovative services equipment, and for other purposes.

Text was circulated in advance pursuant to committee rules. I ask the reading of the bill be dispensed with and be open to amendment at any point. Hearing no objection, so ordered. Do any members wish to speak on this bill? The Chair now recognizes Ranking Member Pappas.

Oh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. As I said during the legislative hearing in January, we absolutely need to ensure that vendors are getting paid on time. We've heard directly from them about how unpaid invoices are a drag on their business and some vendors are no longer working with veterans because of it. So I understand the frustration with VA. They should have solved this issue on their own years ago, but because this requires two agencies within the department to work together, communication silos have impeded progress and it's hard to assign accountability or responsibility to a single senior executive or entity. But Mr. Chairman, this is one of the bills I was talking about not rushing to failure on. I understand that we're expecting written technical assistance from VA this Friday and an update on the future of this program in the next week or two. VA also stated in their testimony before us in January and on follow-up calls with staff that they weren't sure what benefit program we're even trying to address in the legislation. So VA also identified that the central office doesn't have the space, full-time employees, or expertise to process these claims as required by the bill currently. Furthermore, the legislation currently does not have a definition for when the 30-day processing timeline outlined in the bill actually starts. So I feel like we need to get a fix for this and I understand the implications if we sacrifice better policy to fix this for the sake of pushing it through this committee process today. At this point in the 119th Congress, we only have one shot at getting this right and it'll take several years for the necessary changes to address these unanswered questions to see Congress act and to have them implemented by VA. So this is going to be too long for many small businesses who are doing this great work to survive. So it has to be done right the first time, whatever happens with the amendment that I'll be proposing. I look forward and expect that we can continue to work together on this bill as we receive further information from VA. With that, I yield back.

The Ranking Member yields back. The Chair now recognizes Mr. Barrett.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and to the Ranking Member and other members of the committee for considering my bill today, H.R. 7083, the Centralized Reimbursement for Upgraded Innovative Services Equipment Act or the CRUISE Act for short. My bill would require the VA to develop a plan and centralize all payments for the adaptive automotive equipment program. This is the program that furnishes veterans with an adaptive vehicle or other mobility equipment that they may need for their particular circumstance. The purpose behind this bill is the fact that the VA has been delinquent in furnishing prompt payment to vendors that do this kind of work. The concern that we have is that this is going to ultimately lead to fewer and fewer vendors available to help veterans in this effort. Now, I recognize that the VA has been a little bit slow in giving us their advice as to how we can craft this in the most professional way. I appreciate that the minority has put forward an amendment on this, however, this bill is done for a reason, which is that the VA has not fixed this problem on their own and ultimately we have to make the rules under which they are governed by and that is important to hold them accountable to that standard. I've heard from far too many vendors that they have had delinquent and delayed payment for far too long, in some instances more than 90, 120, 180 days or longer to get payment, which is far beyond the standard that we should expect. My bill will address that, it will be done in a centralized way that will bring about a clear standard under which payment will be remitted and it should improve things for the entire system. So with that, Mr. Chairman, I will yield back. Thank you.

The gentleman yields back. Do any members wish to offer an amendment? I now recognize Ranking Member Pappas to offer an amendment to H.R. 7083.

Thanks, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk.

The clerk shall report the amendment.

Amendment to H.R. 7083 offered by Mr. Pappas.

I ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with. Without objection, so ordered. The gentleman is now recognized for five minutes to explain the amendment.

Thanks, Mr. Chairman. I offer this amendment to the CRUISE Act today to identify, to address identified issues with the bill as drafted. I've no doubt that the bill will be modified further as we get more information from VA, but this amendment will fix issues with the legislation that we know about today. Put simply, the amendment will require that VA specialize processing of these claims at up to five VBA regional offices instead of centralizing within VA central office, which doesn't have the capacity, capability, workforce, or supervisory structure to process these claims. This prevents us from creating a whole new administrative structure within the central office, duplicating efforts, and wasting more FTE slots. The amendment also defines the start of the 30-day window in the legislation as the day the vehicle modification is delivered or accepted by the veteran. This ensures that the bill does what we expect it to do without any confusing, misleading metrics. This means vendors will be paid within 30 days of delivering their work. Finally, the amendment adds a requirement that VA must provide a public report every six months for two years on the average amounts of time it takes each VBA regional office to make payments. The report is required to break out the amounts of time claims were waiting with VHA, VBA, or the claimant to provide additional information so we can identify where the bottlenecks are. So I urge all my colleagues to support this common-sense amendment and am serious about our intention to continue working with you on this underlying legislation. I yield back.

The gentleman yields back. I now recognize myself for five minutes to speak on this amendment. As stated earlier, this amendment was not submitted on time or circulated in advance. And we can't control the administration, and I was just as harsh on the Biden administration as I just was at the Trump administration about getting stuff here on time to give us the ability to reflect on things in a thoughtful manner. And it's inexcusable from any administration in the executive branch. What we can control is ourselves. And I expect you to do that and I'll hold you to I expect you to hold me to the same standard. And I would appreciate that. This amendment would assign five VA regional offices to centralize the payments within the automobile adaptive program. This does not specify how those regional offices would be assigned. This amendment would also define the 30-day start clock for when the vehicle modernization begins and add additional reporting requirements. I do think some of the changes need to be made to this bill at the full committee once VA provides technical assistance, which as Mr. Pappas said will be this Friday, and I look forward to working with the Ranking Member on ways to get this done. And with that, I urge my colleagues to vote no on this amendment. Do any other members wish to comment on this amendment? Seeing none, the question now occurs on agreeing to the Ranking Member Pappas's amendment to H.R. 7083. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say no. No. In the opinion of the Chair, the noes have it and the amendment is not agreed to. Are there any further hearing none, okay. Hearing none, I now recognize Representative Barrett for a motion.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that the subcommittee favorably report H.R. 7083 to the full committee.

There is a motion to favorably forward the bill to the full committee. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say no. In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and the bill H.R. 7083 is favorably forwarded to the full committee. The motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. I now call up H.R. 7103, the Improving Emerging Tech Opportunities for Veterans Act. The clerk shall report the bill.

H.R. 7103, to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the inclusion of emerging technologies in the VET-TEC program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

The text was circulated in advance pursuant to committee rules. Without objection, the first reading is dispensed with. The bill is now open for amendment at any point. I now recognize Representative Hamadeh for the purpose of offering an amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for your support as a co-sponsor of my legislation, H.R. 7103, the Improving Emerging Tech Opportunities for Veterans Act.

Wait, you have to say you have an amendment at the desk. We have to read it first.

We have an amendment at the desk.

The clerk will report the amendment.

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 7103 offered by Mr. Hamadeh.

I ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment in the nature of a substitute be dispensed with. I ask that it be considered for base text for the purpose of the markup. Without objection, so ordered. I now recognize Representative Hamadeh for five minutes to speak in support of the amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm proud to offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute to my bill to reform VET-TEC and the transition assistance program to include "emerging technologies," such as AI and semiconductor so that no veteran is left behind. Under the Trump administration, America is making a generational investment in advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and semiconductor production. This involves billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs. We should not be leaving veterans behind while importing foreign labor to fill jobs that Americans can and should be doing. Veterans are walking out of the military every single day who operated satellite communications, managed classified networks, and maintained weapons platforms. Experience and qualifications that most engineers in the private sector will never see. These men and women understand the chain of command, they perform under pressure, they have already proven they can master complex systems when the stakes are life and death, real-world consequences. What they lack is a clear pathway from the uniform to the civilian tech workforce. My amendment in the nature of a substitute expands the VET-TEC program to include emerging technologies like AI and semiconductor manufacturing, which is bringing billions of dollars of investment into our country and especially my district. Now, it also directs the VA to work with private sector employers and educational institutions to identify the career fields of the future and connect veterans with the training they need. And it ensures that information is prominently displayed on the VA website and promoted through transition assistance program. So every separating service member knows these opportunities exist before they enter civilian life. This is not a handout, it's a hand up. Our veterans earned these benefits the hard way, and we're not asking for much. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support my ANS and oppose any duplicative amendment offered by Democrat colleagues. My bill improves VET-TEC and the other changes and reforms being proposed today should be pursued in a more appropriate vehicle. And I would gladly join my colleagues on the other side in working together on addressing this separately and apart from my bill today. Now let's give that veteran the training, let's give the veteran the shot that they earned, and I urge my colleagues to support my amendment in the nature of a substitute. Thank you, and I yield back.

The gentleman yields back. Do any members wish to comment on the amendment in the nature of substitute to H.R. 7103? The Chair now recognizes Ranking Member Pappas for his comments.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Much like the previous bill, we heard from stakeholders in our January leg hearing about the ways this bill can be improved. And so I have concerns that the bill asks VA to identify emerging industries and determine future employment outlooks, something that it doesn't have expertise in. And I worry that we're setting VA and this program up for failure. I also worry that the legislation tries to push these yet-to-be set up and unproven programs right into TAP. So I'm thinking that if these programs are as good as we're being told, they will naturally rise to the top to be highlighted as part of that time that's already set aside for VET-TEC in TAP. We can let the program outcomes speak for themselves. I'll be offering amendments later, but I hope that we can work together to find a bipartisan way to make needed improvements to this bill. And I yield back.

Do any other members wish to comment on this amendment in the nature of a substitute? I now recognize Representative Pappas to offer amendment number one to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 7103.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

The clerk shall report the amendment.

Pappas amendment number one, amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 7103.

I ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with. Without objection, so ordered. The gentleman is now recognized for five minutes to explain the amendment.

Thanks, Mr. Chairman. This amendment would add the text of Mr. Walkinshaw's recently introduced bill, H.R. 7643, to H.R. 7103. I appreciate that Mr. Walkinshaw is taking an interest in veterans' issues and working to improve the VET-TEC program. His bill will require that VA implement a priority recommendation from the GAO that the Secretary of VA develop an employment rate calculation consistent with standard approaches used by government or industry entities. It also ensures that bad actors aren't allowed to artificially inflate these employment success numbers by temporarily hiring their own graduates when they can't find employment elsewhere, as we saw under the original VET-TEC program. In response to the GAO report, VA stated that they will assign a data analyst to conduct the employment data collection once the permanent VET-TEC program is implemented. VA's own statements should refute any concerns that this amendment will slow implementation of the VET-TEC program. This amendment will just require that VA does what they said they would do and that the math they use is in line with best practices. We all want an efficient VA to keep bad actors away from veterans' benefits, and this amendment will help us do that. So I thank Mr. Walkinshaw for his work and I urge its adoption. I yield back.

The gentleman yields back. I now recognize myself in opposition to the amendment. We're going to leave aside the timeliness, but this amendment would add additional VA reporting requirements to VA's VET-TEC program that is currently in the process of implementation. We look forward to working with the administration and the minority to push for the implementation of VET-TEC program in DOL, but until VET-TEC 2.0 has been implemented, I do not see the need for additional reporting requirements at this time. And this is kind of what happens with government. We keep moving goalposts and asking for more reports and all these things, and we just really got to get something going. And I think that this is a virtuous thing to do for our veterans. I urge my colleagues to vote no with me on this amendment. Do any other members wish to comment on the amendment? Seeing none, the question now occurs on agreeing to the Pappas amendment, Ranking Member Pappas amendment to the nature of a substitute to H.R. 7103. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All all those opposed say no. No. In the opinion of the Chair, the noes have it and the amendment is not agreed to.

Mr. Chairman, I have another amendment at the desk.

The clerk shall report Mr. I now recognize, excuse me, the previous amendment is laid upon the table. I now recognize Mr. Pappas to offer amendment number two to the amendment in the nature of a substitute for H.R. 7103.

I have an amendment at the desk, Mr. Chairman.

The clerk shall report the amendment.

Pappas amendment number two, amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 7103.

I ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with. Without objection, so ordered. The gentleman is now recognized for five minutes to explain the amendment.

Thanks, Mr. Chairman. This amendment addresses operational issues with the bill as well as other concerns. Operationally, it changes responsibility for determining which industries are emerging with high employment and growth potential from VA to the Department of Labor VETS, as VA... ...VA does not have the capability or expertise and DOL does. It also removes the requirement that VA include the program created by this bill in the transition assistance program. VET TEC program as a whole is already in the TAP curriculum and veterans will gain exposure to these programs during that time. TAP is already so time constrained that duplicating content of the programs will hurt service members' transition process. Furthermore, the amendment adds labor unions, veteran service organizations, and consumer protection groups to the critical stakeholder list. I think these groups are important voices and should have a seat at the table as we need someone looking out for the best interests of the veteran, not just the industry. Lastly, the amendment would remove references to specific industries in the legislative text. I don't think it's appropriate for Congress to be picking specific winners and losers. I agree that the areas listed are exciting avenues for veteran employment right now, but we don't know what the landscape will look like in six months, a year, five years, or even 10 years down the road. We can give guidance to VA on implementation through report language, but specific industries shouldn't be codified into law. I think these are pretty non-controversial improvements. I urge my colleagues to support them and I yield back.

I now recognize myself in opposition to the amendment. This amendment would remove VA's collaboration with stakeholders and move it under the Department of Labor. This goes against the committee's reauthorization efforts and collaboration with VA would like to see in the emerging technology space. Additionally, members have had no time to properly review this text and consider the consequences of supporting it as we mentioned earlier. I urge my colleagues to vote no with me on this amendment. Do any other members wish to comment on the amendment? Seeing none, the question now occurs on agreeing to the Pappas amendment number two, ranking member Pappas number two to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 7103. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no.

No.

No. In the opinion of the chair, the noes have it and the amendment is not agreed to. The motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. Are there any further amendments to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 7103? Hearing none, we will now move to consider to the consideration of the next bill. Oh, sorry. The question now occurs on agreeing to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 7103. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those say no, all opposed say no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the amendment in the nature of substitute is agreed to. I now recognize Mr. Barrett for a motion.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that the committee forward H.R. 7103 as amended favorably to the full committee.

The question on favorably forwarding the bill H.R. 7103 as amended to the to the full committee. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The motion is agreed to and H.R. 7103 as amended is forwarded favorably to the full committee. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. I now call up H.R. 7141, the Affordable Housing Guarantee Act. The clerk shall report the bill.

H.R. 7141, to amend title 38...

The text was circulated in advance pursuant to committee rules. I ask that the reading of the bill be suspended to be dispensed with and to be open to amendment at this point. Hearing no objection, so ordered. I recognize myself for a motion to say for a moment to say that this bill would increase the VA home loan guarantee from 25 to 50 percent for disabled veterans and this bill would make housing more affordable for veterans and provide a portion of the parity to FHA's 100 percent guarantee. And that's just the right thing to do, period. I don't know who could possibly object to this. Do any members wish to speak on the bill? The chair now recognizes ranking member Pappas for his comments.

Well, thank you and I'll keep my remarks brief because I've got an amendment that I'm going to be offering. But as written, this is basically a $2 billion handout to the mortgage industry. The purpose of of VA home loan guarantee is to entice lenders into lending to veterans. There are no shortage of lenders willing to lend to veterans right now, so what do we get by doubling the guarantee? Aside from that, my greatest concern is that there's no requirement that they pass the savings they'd accrue on to veterans under this bill. This bill as written would simply socialize the mortgage company's risk without requiring any of them to ensure VA home loans go to the veterans who need them the most. So that doesn't seem right to me and I yield back.

The gentleman yields back. Do any members wish to offer an amendment? I now recognize ranking member Pappas to offer an amendment to H.R. 7141.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

The clerk shall report the amendment.

Amendment to H.R. 7141 offered by Mr. Pappas...

I ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with. Without objection, so ordered. The gentleman is recognized for five minutes to explain the amendment.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If we're going to increase the VA home loan guarantee and pump $2 billion into the mortgage industry, the mortgage industry should better provide should provide better terms for veterans or open up home loans to veterans who haven't been able to access homeownership before. So this amendment would provide the increased guarantee from Representative Miller-Meeks' bill to lenders providing loans to three categories. First, disabled veterans with credit scores below 620, like our young veterans just getting out of the military and establishing their credit. Second, disabled veterans with a high debt-to-income ratio, like our veterans on a fixed income. And third, disabled veterans without a credit score, like those transitioning out of incarceration or homelessness. So this amendment would open up the VA home loan program to more veterans, ensure that taxpayer money isn't just going to line the pockets of mortgage executives. And in closing, I'll note that both the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the VA urge changes to the underlying bill back in our January hearing, so I urge colleagues to support this amendment and I yield back.

The gentleman yields back. I now recognize myself to speak on the amendment. This amendment was received at 1900 last night and would only grant the increased home loan guarantee to lenders who provide a loan to disabled veterans with a credit score below 620, with a high debt-to-income ratio, or without a credit score. Now, I'm committed to and we often forget this word, I'm committed to making the VA home loan guarantee program, because it is not a loan from the VA, it guarantees a loan from a private lender, more affordable for veterans to look forward to working with the minority and seeking specific changes in advance to move this bill forward because homeownership is part of the American dream. It's as simple as that. So we want to get this done, we've just got to get it done right. So I oppose all, excuse me, I urge all members to oppose. Do any other members wish to comment on the amendment? Seeing none, the question now occurs on agreeing to the ranking member to ranking member Pappas's amendment to H.R. 7141. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say no. In the opinion of the chair, the noes have it and the amendment is not agreed to. Are there any further amendments? Hearing none, we will now move to consider the next bill. Wait. There's a motion to favorably no. Hearing none, I now recognize Representative Barrett for a motion.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that the subcommittee favorably report favorably forward, sorry, I'm having a hard time myself, H.R. 7141 to the full committee.

There's a motion to favorably forward the bill to the full committee. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The bill H.R. 7141 is favorably forwarded to the full committee and the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. I now call up H.R. 1803, the Fair Access to Co-ops for Veterans Act of 2025. The clerk shall report the bill.

H.R. 1803, offered by...

The text was circulated in advance pursuant to committee rules. I ask the reading of the bill be dispensed with and it be open to amendment at any point. Hearing no objection, so ordered. I recognize myself for a moment to say that this bill would allow VA home loans to be used for housing cooperatives. Okay, like I said, we want veterans to have access to homeownership. Do any do any members wish to offer an amendment? I now recognize ranking member Pappas to offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 1803.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk.

The clerk shall report the amendment.

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 1803...

I ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with. Without objection, bless you, so ordered. The gentleman is recognized for five minutes to explain his amendment.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. These changes are non-controversial, mostly technical in nature to ensure that the underlying bill will function properly. The amendment adds clarifying language on how the VA should handle defaults for the VA home loans for co-ops. It also adds language ensuring similar levels of borrower relief for veterans in co-ops as compared to other VA home loan users in the event the co-op becomes insolvent. I understand that the updated language was just received last night, but as we voted to move other bills forward this afternoon that will similarly have to be reviewed and adjusted as they move to full committee, I ask that the majority extend the same courtesy to this bill and this amendment. I urge adoption of the amendment and forwarding the underlying bill to the full committee and I yield back.

The gentleman yields back. I now recognize myself to speak on the amendment. I'm opposed to this amendment as written, which is a complete substitute of the text and was only submitted to the committee last night after 1700. As the gentleman knows, amendments in the nature of substitute are complete replacements of the text of the bill. As such, these amendments are typically submitted earlier so that we can they can be circulated to all members of the subcommittee for review and members can draft any amendments they might have to correct the text. Members have had no time to properly review this text and consider the consequences of supporting it. And listen, I want Chris, I want to get this done. And opening up the VA home loans to co-ops has got to get done, but we have to nail the text because a co-op in New York does not necessarily mean a co-op in the state of Wisconsin or New Hampshire for your case, sir. And so we have to get this done. And again, it is my intent, I know it is your intent to make sure that every single person that served this nation in uniform has the ability to have access to homeownership through the VA home loan guarantee program, but I just don't think this this is ready for prime time. I urge all members to join me in opposing this amendment. Do any other members wish to comment on the amendment? Seeing none, the question now occurs on agreeing to ranking member Pappas's amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 1803. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no. In the opinion of the chair, the noes have it and the amendment is not agreed to. Are there any further amendments? Hearing none, hearing none, we will now move to consider the bill. I now recognize Representative Ciscomani from the great state of Arizona for a motion.

Mr. Chairman, thank you. Much more respect than honorable Chairman. I move that subcommittee favorably forward H.R. 1803 to full committee.

There is a motion to favorably forward the bill to the full committee. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The bill H.R. 1803 is favorably forwarded to the full committee and the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. I now call up H.R. 982, the Warriors to Workforce Act. The clerk shall report the bill.

H.R. 982, to amend...

The text was circulated in advance pursuant to committee rules. I ask the reading of the bill be dispensed with and it be open to amendment at any point. Hearing no objection, so ordered. I recognize myself in support of this bill. This is my bill and it's going to increase the amount of educational assistance paid during the six to 12 months apprenticeship or on-the-job training from 80 to 90 percent. We need the trades, period. We need more plumbers, pipefitters, welders, carpenters. We need we need more people to be able to utilize these apprenticeship programs and on-the-job training and this is an additional amount of money that's going to help that happen. Do any members wish to speak on this bill? Okay. Do any members wish to offer an amendment? I now recognize ranking member Pappas to offer an amendment to H.R. 982.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have another amendment at the desk.

The clerk shall report the amendment.

Amendment to H.R. 982 offered by Mr. Pappas...

I ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with. Without objection, so ordered. The gentleman is now recognized for five minutes to explain the amendment.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I support the underlying bill, but I don't think it goes far enough. We need to take a full look at how the entirety of apprenticeships and OJT programs are run between VA, DOL VETS, and other various employment programs for veterans. This bill feels like we're working on the periphery margins of the core issues with these programs. I also understand the view held by some veterans in apprenticeships that if they're using their GI Bill, they should be getting the full housing allowance. They're right that reducing the housing allowance as apprenticeships advance does disincentivize participation and push them to attend traditional higher education. Money talks and only receiving 80, 60, or even as low as 20 percent of the housing allowance as your peers will inevitably impact their thinking about their career path. Intertwined with that are the concerns raised by Paralyzed Veterans of America and others at the January leg hearing that increasing the housing allowance percentage for only months seven through 12 will leave a benefits cliff at month 13, the point when most veterans already drop out of their GI Bill apprenticeship programs. So to address that, I'm proposing that we adjust all the step-down rates at once by increasing the housing allowance percentage for months 13 through 18 to 80 percent from the current 60 percent, increasing months 19 through 20 up to 70 percent from the current 40, and increasing months 24 and beyond to 60 percent from the current 20. I'm open to doing a full increase across the board, but this amendment keeps with the current structure of the law and addresses the concerns that were raised specifically by PVA. So I urge adoption of this amendment and forwarding the bill to the full committee and I yield back.

The ranking member yields back. I now recognize myself to speak on the amendment. This amendment would increase the and expand the months for educational assistance paid for from 13 to 24 months and honest to goodness, I don't know how we're going to pay for this and that is a real issue. Additionally, and more importantly, we don't have any actual data confirming whether or not this is needed. And so we have got to act on data. Then we have to make sure we can pay for stuff so that we have room to make sure that our our veterans have the education that they need. And again, you know, I went to you don't know this, when I joined the Navy, I was part of the seaman apprenticeship program. So I'm all about this stuff. I think it's great. But because we don't have the actual data, I don't know if this is really needed and I really honest to goodness have no idea how the heck we're going to pay for this, which would just mean it would die anyway. I want to make I want to urge my all members, excuse me, to oppose this amendment. Do any other members wish to comment on the amendment? Seeing none, the question now occurs on agreeing to ranking member Pappas's amendment to H.R. 982. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no. In the opinion of the chair, the noes have it and the amendment is not agreed to. Are there any further amendments? Hearing none, we will now move we will now move to excuse me, I now recognize ranking member, you know, apparently you're ranking member now. I now recognize Representative Ciscomani from the great state of Arizona for a motion.

Do not do not watch, Mr. Chairman, but Mr. Chairman, I enthusiastically move to that the subcommittee favorably forward H.R. 982 to the full committee.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The bill H.R. 982 is favorably forwarded to the full committee and the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. I also want to make sure that we understand that I am that all of these bills on the agenda today have been favorably forwarded to the full committee. I ask unanimous consent that the committee staff be authorized to make technical clerical and conforming changes to the bills favorably forward today. Hearing no objection, so ordered. I thank the members, Chris, thank you so much, for their attendance today and the subcommittee is now adjourned.