周三，众议院民主党人大声抗议，指责共和党利用快速通道战术通过了一项旨在提高残疾和受伤退伍军人薪酬的党派立法。民主党人反对共和党提出的《照顾美国退伍军人法案》（TCAVA），称该法案将通过削减其他福利来扩大部分退伍军人的福利。在每日党鞭通知中，众议员凯瑟琳·克拉克（民主党-马萨诸塞州）敦促众议院民主党人投反对票。
House Democrats are crying foul on Wednesday after Republicans used a fast-track tactic to pass partisan legislation designed to increase pay for disabled and injured veterans.
然而，当主持周三下午众议院会议的共和党议员阿迪森·麦克道威尔（共和党-北卡罗来纳州）提请审议该法案时，民主党方面无人要求记名表决——考虑到民主党正在动员反对该法案，这一沉默颇为反常。这使得麦克道威尔得以宣布法案通过语音表决即时通过。愤怒的民主党人指责共和党玩“肮脏手段”。他们称，共和党将众议院退伍军人事务委员会首席议员马克·塔卡诺（民主党-加利福尼亚州）从讲台旁拉走，当时他正在主导民主党方面的辩论，以便讨论法案修改。
Democrats opposed the GOP’s Take Care of America's Veterans Act (TCAVA), saying it would expand some veterans’ benefits by slashing others. In her daily whip notice, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) urged House Democrats to vote no.
他们表示，就在这次会谈期间——当塔卡诺离开麦克风时——麦克道威尔快速推进了该提案。“在公开宣布将对TCAVA立法进行记名表决后，众议院共和党人询问塔卡诺首席议员和民主党人是否同意最后一刻的定稿修正，”一位民主党领导层助手说。“当议员和工作人员在讲台外评估这些变化时，众议院共和党人提请表决并在几秒钟内通过语音表决将其通过——剥夺了民主党人甚至评估拟议变更和要求记名表决的能力，以便议员们能够投票反对美国历史上对退伍军人福利最大幅度的削减。”
Yet when Rep. Addison McDowell (R-N.C.), the Republican lawmaker presiding over the House chamber on Wednesday afternoon, brought the bill up for consideration, no one on the Democratic side demanded a recorded vote — a curious silence given that Democrats were whipping against the bill.
“在退伍军人节这一天，使用卑鄙手段欺骗退伍军人是可耻的。” TCAVA法案修订了退伍军人事务部（VA）对睡眠呼吸暂停和耳鸣的残疾评级，扩大了配偶纪念墓碑或标记的资格，为某些心理健康护理项目建立了标准化的转介筛选流程，并处理了退伍军人事务部的人员、招聘和基础设施事务。共和党人迅速称赞该法案的通过。
“这一历史性的退伍军人立法方案带来了迟来的改革，以加强退伍军人的医疗保健，扩大福利，并削减退伍军人事务部的官僚主义，”该法案的提案人、众议院退伍军人事务委员会主席迈克·博斯特（共和党-伊利诺伊州）在X上写道。“我们的退伍军人信守了对美国的承诺，在这个退伍军人节，我们正在为他们兑现承诺，”博斯特补充道。
That allowed McDowell to declare the bill passed instantly, by voice vote.
这个庞大的法案方案，曾导致退伍军人团体分裂，在众议院被搁置了数月。7月，众议院议长迈克·约翰逊（共和党-路易斯安那州）在共和党领导层意识到这项庞大的措施没有获得足够的共和党支持来推进后，将其从众议院撤下。支持该法案的退伍军人团体对此表示庆祝。“在这个退伍军人节，国会不仅仅是感谢我们的退伍军人为国服务和牺牲。他们采取了有意义的行动来兑现我们对他们的承诺，”美国关切退伍军人组织（CVA）执行主任约翰·维克在一份声明中说。
Furious Democrats accused Republicans of playing “dirty pool.”They said Republicans pulled Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, away from the podium, where he was leading the Democratic side of the debate, in order to discuss changes to the bill.
“这是我们的退伍军人长期以来一直期望华盛顿看到的领导力，我们感谢那些为实现这一目标而努力工作的议员们。”民主党人正在推动一项由塔卡诺提出的替代法案，该法案也增加了对残疾退伍军人的福利。这项名为“理查德·斯塔尔少校法案”的法案于周三在众议院获得通过。此前，民主党人成功获得了218个签名，以强制就该法案进行投票。该法案定于周四进行最终投票。这项以一名美国军官命名的措施。
It was during that parlay — while Takano was away from his microphone — that McDowell fast-tracked the proposal, they said. “After publicly announcing a recorded vote on the TCAVA legislation, House Republicans asked if RM Takano and Democrats would agree to last minute engrossment corrections,” a Democratic leadership aide said.
因接触有毒焚烧坑而确诊癌症的陆军战斗工兵，将让约5.4万名因战伤而医疗退役的军人同时领取退休金和退伍军人事务部（VA）的伤残补助。“我们早就该结束‘负伤战士税’，让我们的战斗负伤退伍军人得到他们应得的补偿，”高野在众议院发言时说。这项法案最初于2023年提出，得到了多个退伍军人团体的支持，但由于成本方面的担忧，其潜在通过分别在2025年和今年早些时候被共和党参议员阻止。《理查德·斯塔尔少校法案》今年早些时候获得国防部长皮特·赫格塞思的支持，从而得到提振。
“While members and staff were evaluating these changes away from the podium, House Republicans called the vote up and passed it by voice within seconds — depriving Democrats of the ability to even evaluate the proposed changes and ask for a recorded vote so Members could vote against the biggest cut to veterans benefits in US history. “On Veterans Day of all days, using dirty tricks to steal from Veterans is a disgrace.” The TCAVA package revises the Veterans Affairs (VA) disability ratings for sleep apnea and tinnitus, expands eligibility for a memorial headstone or marker for the spouse, establishes a standardized screening process for routing admission to some mental health care programs and addresses VA personnel, hiring, and infrastructure matters. Republicans quickly applauded the bill’s passage. “This historic package of veterans legislation delivers long overdue reforms to strengthen veterans’ healthcare, expand benefits, and cut through VA bureaucracy,” House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chair Mike Bost (R-Ill.), who sponsored the bill, wrote on X. “Our veterans kept their promise to America, and this Veterans Day, we’re delivering for them,” Bost added. The massive package of bills, which has divided veterans groups, was stalled in the House for months. In July, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) pulled the bill from the House floor after GOP leadership realized the massive measure did not have enough Republican support to advance. Veterans groups supportive of the package celebrated. “This Veterans Day, Congress did more than thank our veterans for their service and sacrifice. They took meaningful action to honor the promises we made to them,” Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) Executive Director John Vick said in a statement. “This is the kind of leadership our veterans have waited far too long to see from Washington, and we thank the lawmakers who worked hard to make it happen.” Democrats are pushing an alternative bill, sponsored by Takano, that also increases benefits for disabled veterans. That bill, dubbed the Major Richard Star Act, advanced on the floor Wednesday. It was brought up after Democrats had successfully garnered 218 signatures on a discharge petition to force a vote on the bill. It is scheduled for a final vote on Thursday. The measure, named after a U.S. Army combat engineer who was diagnosed with cancer due to toxic burn pit exposure, would give around 54,000 combat-injured, medically retired service members retirement pay and Veterans Affairs (VA) disability concurrently. “It is far past time for us to end the wounded warrior tax and to give our combat wounded veterans the compensation they have earned,” Takano said on the House floor. The bill, which was originally introduced in 2023, has been supported by a variety of veterans groups, but its potential passage has been blocked by Republican senators in 2025 and earlier this year over cost concerns. The Major Richard Star Act received a boost earlier this year after being endorsed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.