Across the nation, Americans are gathering to honor the courageous men and women who have served and made innumerable sacrifices for our country. House Republicans believe that it is our solemn responsibility to honor their sacrifices, heroism, and service. That is precisely why we committed to fully fund veterans benefits in our budgets to ensure the men and women who have served have access to the care, benefits, and services they have earned. We fulfilled that commitment to our nation’s veterans when we passed the Fiscal Year 2024 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, which fully funds veterans' health care programs, benefits, and other VA programs.

There’s much more, however, that we have done during the 118^th Congress to ensure the needs of our nation’s veterans are met. Below are a few examples of bills we have passed in the People’s House to achieve that end:

• H.R. 1226, the Wounded Warrior Access Act, to modernize the Department of Veterans’ Affairs by making it easier for veterans to access their claims file in an electronic format.
• H.R. 815, the RELIEVE Act, legislation that closes a loophole that left certain veterans uninsured for emergency treatment.
• H.R. 366, Korean American VALOR Act, to ensure Korean American veterans who served in Vietnam are eligible for VA healthcare.
• H.R. 1530, the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2023, legislation that makes reforms to the process for veterans benefit claims.
• S. 30, FY23 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act, which authorized the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to construct or renovate seven major medical facilities in FY23.

The entire nation owes our veterans a huge debt of gratitude we can never hope to fully repay. However, ensuring we do everything in our power to properly repay that debt has always been, and will always be, one of my top priorities in Congress.

Combating Antisemitism

Recently, the House passed H.Res.798, a resolution authored by Representative Burgess Owens (R-UT), myself, and others, that condemns the support of Hamas and other terrorist organizations at postsecondary education institutions. Congressman Owens’ resolution sends a clear message: antisemitism has no place in America, especially not on college campuses. Colleges and universities have become a breeding ground for radical ideology. That fact has never been more evident as campus demonstrations in support of Hamas and other terrorist organizations erupt. The passage of this resolution is a good first step, but I can assure you, we will not stop here.

To watch my floor speech in support of this resolution, click here.

The DETERRENT Act

On Wednesday, the House Education and Workforce Committee passed H.R. 5933, the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act with bipartisan support. Bad foreign actors are undermining our nation’s interests by exploiting research contracts and hiding financial partnerships with American universities. The DETERRENT Act is about making postsecondary education stronger by stomping out malign foreign influence and holding our institutions to a higher standard. The Committee is taking action to uphold the integrity of America’s education system and national security through transparency.

Quote of The Week

“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”

-Billy Graham

Have a blessed weekend,