Why Democrats voted against increasing veterans benefits

The House Veterans Affairs Committee approved a bill to increase veteran benefits for thousands, but all but one of the 11 Democrats on the committee voted against the measure.

The Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act was introduced by Republican Representative Tom Barrett of Michigan in November, but Republicans and Democrats disagree on how exactly it could benefit or hurt veterans in the long run.

Why It Matters

Under the new law, the secretary of veterans affairs would increase the amounts payable for certain disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation.

While thousands of veterans would benefit financially, Democrats pushed against it, saying it would raise VA home loan fees for other veterans seeking to refinance to a lower interest rate.

What To Know

The Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act would increase the Department of Veterans Affairs’ monthly compensation benefit for service-connected, catastrophically disabled veterans. Benefits would also climb for families of 100 percent disabled service members or service members killed in action.

While dependency and indemnity compensation payments would jump by an additional 1 percent above the usual cost-of-living adjustment each year, the special monthly compensation for veterans with catastrophic, service-connected disabilities would collectively earn an additional $10,000 per year for about 7,000 of the most severely disabled veterans.

The bill passed 15-10 in the House VA Committee, but almost all Democrats voted against it, citing concerns about the law’s implications for other veterans.

On X, the account for House Veterans Affairs Democrats wrote, “@HouseDemocrats support increasing veterans’ benefits. Full stop. We don’t support funding them by raising VA home loan fees on other veterans seeking to refinance their homes to a lower interest rate. House Republicans can’t deny their bill raises costs for veterans.”

To fund the bill’s benefit increases, there would be higher charges on veterans’ new home loan fees, which could make homeownership less affordable for many.

Why the Law Was Proposed

The law was named after Sharri Briley, the surviving spouse of Donovan Lee “Bull” Briley, an Army Special Operations Blackhawk helicopter pilot who died in Mogadishu, Somalia, during Operation Gothic Serpent in 1993, as well as Army veteran Sergeant Eric Edmundson. Edmundson experienced an anoxic brain injury that took away his ability to speak or walk.

“It is a stark stain on the good work done by this Committee, and to me as a veteran, that Ranking Member Takano and a majority of the Democrat members of the VA Committee voted against reporting out Rep. Barrett’s bill today,” Chairman Mike Bost, an Illinois Republican, said in a statement.

“This bill seeks to do one thing—good—for the men and women who have served this great country and live with lifechanging injuries as a result of their service, as well as the American families who were left behind by those who gave their lives in defense of freedom,” he added.

What People Are Saying

Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “This proposed bill is the latest in a series of potential plans to help boost current benefits offered to veterans. The proposal calls for a significant increase in certain VA disability compensation and DIC payments, aiming to provide stronger financial support to disabled veterans and family members. The legislation would also enhance Special Monthly Compensation and introduce meaningful increases to DIC benefits, which advocates have been pushing for the last few years due to inflationary pressures.”

Representative Tom Barrett said in a statement: “Increasing benefits for our disabled veterans and Gold Star families is long overdue. This bill is a major step towards making good on our commitment to the veterans who sacrificed so much defending our nation. I’m proud of our committee coming together to pass this legislation to increase critical financial support for catastrophically injured veterans like Sgt. Eric Edmundson and survivors like Sharri Briley. Now it’s time to get this across the finish line and signed into law for our nation’s heroes.”

Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9Innings podcast, previously told Newsweek: “This is politics: benefits on one side, offsets on the other. The bill raises supplemental income for veterans with higher disability ratings, but it looks to fund part of that increase by charging higher fees on subsequent VA home loans for veterans rated 70 percent disabled or less.”

What Happens Next

The financial implications of hurting other veterans’ abilities to finance their homes could prevent the law from being passed at the House and Senate level.

“To help cover the expense, the bill would adjust the VA home loan funding fee for some veterans who use the benefit multiple times,” Beene said. “Still, it’s unclear if this proposal will pass. While support for veterans has been widespread and bipartisan, how to fund services has been a fiscal point of contention.”

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Source: Why Democrats voted against increasing veterans benefits