Joint House/ Senate Hearings on Veterans’ Services continue

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata highlighted this week’s continuation of House/Senate Joint Hearings on veterans’ issues, which began with two hearings last week. These hearings, attended by up to 500 veterans, are the opportunity at the beginning of each Congress for extensive Veterans Service Organization (VSO) testimony.

Amata, who is Vice Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee (HVAC), was in the Chairman’s role for part of Tuesday’s hearing, and took part in each of the three days of listening to expert witnesses on behalf of Veterans.

“This is a new Congress and a new administration, so it’s an opportunity to get VA services on the right track,” said Vice Chairman Amata. “Our Veterans deserve competent, caring services, and we have a permanent national commitment to all who served. I’m optimistic that VA Secretary Doug Collins can improve efficiency leading to better outcomes for Veterans who need the VA to work for them, but our role in Congress is to continue pressing for the reforms that make a difference in our Veterans’ lives. Thank you to the many VSO witnesses presenting issues and insight before the House and Senate committees, and under Chairman Mike Bost, we will also continue to listen to our Veterans year-round.”

Tuesday’s hearing included the presentation from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and others, while last week’s hearings included the American Legion, the Disabled American Veterans and more.

Also last week, Amata took part in a full HVAC Committee legislative hearing to examine the following bills:

·               H.R. 472, The Restore VA Accountability Act of 2025;

·               H.R. 1041, Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act;

·               Discussion Draft: To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from transmitting certain information to the Department of Justice for use by the national instant criminal background check system;

·               H.R. 740, Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025; 

·               Discussion Draft: Student Veteran Benefit Restoration Act of 2025.

On Wednesday, the HVAC Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, on which Amata serves, is conducting a hearing examining three bills under discussion.

In other congressional activity over the past week, Amata took part in a hearing last week of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, on which she is Vice Chairman, as the Subcommittee examined recent years and unseized opportunities in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region. The hearing included testimony on deterring China’s CCP and North Korea, aligning economic goals with regional partners, and raising awareness of issues affecting the Pacific region.

This week, Amata will take part in a hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee’s Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee to examine the Office of Insular Affairs role in fostering prosperity in the Pacific Territories.

(Source: Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata’s D.C. staff)