Politics

House Shelves Vets Bill After GOP Reps Have Heated Argument In Mike Johnson’s Office

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaking to reporters (Screen Capture/CSPAN)

The House of Representatives postponed a vote on a veterans bill Thursday after a few Republicans clashed with supporters of the measure and voted with Democrats to make major revisions to the bill.

Republican Reps. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Max Miller of Ohio and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey voted with Democrats on a motion to recommit, which would have sent the legislation back to committee with instructions and allowed for another vote at a later date. House Speaker Mike Johnson and other House Republicans reportedly had a heated discussion in Johnson’s ceremonial office with Luna and other holdouts as leadership tried to whip their support, according to Politico.

The measure would expand benefits for hundreds of thousands of veterans, but includes cuts to some future disability claims such as tinnitus and sleep apnea cases. Many Republicans, such as Luna, expressed concerns about cutting some benefits to fund others included in the legislation.

The speaker told holdouts they were misinformed about the bill, and Republican Iowa Rep. Zach Nunn reportedly snapped at Luna, demanding she listen to their arguments. Johnson said the measure would be delayed for several weeks while leadership considered next steps.

Johnson’s and Miller’s offices did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Republicans barely defeated the motion to recommit in a 211 to 210 vote.

“The VA bill cannot cut future ratings for certain veteran benefits,” Luna said. “Why would we cut Veteran benefits as a pay for? That isn’t the case for ANY other funding that we are currently trying to pass out of the house? The good news about legislation is it can be edited and changed.”

“Doing right by our veterans has always been one of my highest priorities, and this bill contains many provisions that I strongly support. But the way it is paid for is unacceptable,” Van Drew said in a statement sent to the DCNF. “It would reduce disability compensation available to future veterans who file claims for service-related health issues. We should never take benefits away from one group of veterans to provide benefits to another. That is why I could not in good conscience support it.”

The measure included major standalone pieces of legislation that would provide specific benefits to veterans.

Van Drew called on Congress to pass the Major Richard Star Act, which was included in the bill, which would increase retirement payouts for around 50,000 combat veterans. A stand-alone version of the bill was sidelined for years over budget concerns.

The bill would pay for the Star Act and other benefits expansions with changes in disability ratings for tinnitus and sleep apnea cases. The limits were expected to generate about $57 billion in savings over the next decade.

Democrats opposed paying for new veterans benefits by taking money from other claims.

Several veterans advocacy groups, including the American Legion, Gold Star Spouses of America and the National Defense Committee urged leadership in the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees to pass the bill.

The bill likely will not return to the House floor until after the August recess.