WEEKLY GRASSROOTS NEWSLETTER

This week, we are asking Legionnaires to contact Congress to urge them to pass the Major Richard Star Act. This legislation would ensure that combat-injured retirees can receive both their Department of Defense retirement pay and the disability compensation earned through their sacrifices. 

The American Legion appreciates all the emails you have sent so far.  

Go to the Action Center to quickly email a letter of support to your members of Congress. 

 

Have you had a recent meeting or phone call with your member of Congress? Report your contact today! Click here to register your Congressional contact and demonstrate the power of The American Legion advocacy in action. 

NEED TO FIND YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS? Https://www. votervoice.net/AmericanLegion/ Address

KNOW SOMEONE WHO SHOULD REGISTER?

https://www.votervoice.net/ AmericanLegion/Register

WASHINGTON CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 

Washington Conference is scheduled for Feb 28-Mar 5 at the Washington Hilton! The full agenda and hotel information can be found on the Legion website here. Some important dates and events to note: 

March 2 – Legislative Commission Meeting and Commander’s Call 

March 3 – ‘Know Before You Go’ briefs and Hill visits 

March 4 – National Commander’s Testimony to Joint session of Congress 

FY 2026 DEFENSE BILL BOOSTS BUDGET BY $8B, LARGELY BYPASSING LAST-MINUTE $28B MUNITIONS REQUEST 

This article’s original publication can be found here 

House and Senate appropriators have agreed on an $838.7 billion defense topline for fiscal 2026 in a bipartisan deal that would boost defense funds by $8.4 billion over the Pentagon’s request. But they declined to include tens of billions of dollars for additional requests made by the department in recent months. 

Since the Defense Department released its budget request last June, it identified more than $50 billion in what it said were additional funding needs. 

That includes $26.5 billion in funding discrepancies between its FY26 request and the reconciliation bill — essentially a laundry list of accounting errors that resulted in shortfalls to key programs like the Virginia-class submarine. It also included an additional $2.3 billion in "emergent requirements” and a whopping $28.8 billion sum for multiyear munitions procurement contracts. 

While the Appropriations Committees remain open to working with the Pentagon to solve those shortfalls, "the agreement was unable to fully fund most of these unfunded requirements and priorities,” appropriators wrote in a joint explanatory statement accompanying the bill. 

"The agreement welcomes the Department’s focus on strengthening our military, modernizing its capabilities, expanding industrial capacity, and replenishing munitions stockpiles. However, the agreement observes that solving these real challenges will be difficult without sustained funding through a predictable, annual appropriations process,” it states. 

The bill effectively dampens the Pentagon’s last-minute push to add more than $28 billion in multiyear funding for 13 critical munitions. 

Instead, appropriators boosted funds for those weapons by $1.8 billion and approved eight munitions for multiyear procurement: PAC-3 missiles, Standard Missile 6 (SM-6), Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missiles (AMRAAM); Tomahawk cruise missiles; Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER) and Standard Missile 3 Block IB (SM-3 IB). 

The previous, broader request had been criticized by key lawmakers, including Sens. Mitch McConnell and Chris Coons, the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee. The justification document puts some complaints in writing, saying that the Pentagon "has not demonstrated with necessary documentation” that the munitions meet the requirements for multiyear procurement authority as spelt out in law. 

"The proposal was presented absent an official budget request, and without adequate funding offsets or additional topline. Concurrently, the House and Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittees had to address substantial reconciliation funding incongruencies and other Department priorities with limited discretionary resources,” appropriators stated. "This resource limitation constrained Congress’ ability to provide the necessary funding to fully support the MYP [multi-year procurement] initiatives as presented.” 

During a briefing later this afternoon with reporters, a senior Senate GOP staffer said that appropriators believe the bill "makes a good down payment” on future multiyear contracts. 

"But the reality is plain as day, as we have been saying to the administration for months, there is no money in the banana stand,” the staffer added, referencing a gag from Arrested Development in which $250,000 in cash is stashed inside the walls of a frozen banana stand. "There are additional resources that need to be applied to these missions, but we had insufficient top line to cover these very, very needed costs.” 

In addition to the relatively small boost in funding for munitions, lawmakers attempted to make headway on a key supply chain challenge for weapons: solid rocket motors. The omnibus bill provides $500 million for solid rocket motor makers to modernize or expand their facilities, with $150 million of that sum going specifically to qualify second sources of supply. 

"The Secretary of Defense is directed to prioritize actions that enhance competition within the solid rocket motor industrial base, including the introduction of new entrants, expansion of qualified suppliers, reduction of barriers to entry, and mitigation of single-point-of-failure risks,” the justification document states. 

Appropriators have demanded several reports on munitions: one that would document all expended munitions, another that would compare requested munitions quantities with the maximum amount that could be manufactured by the industrial base, and a third on potential sources of new, low-cost munitions.   

Lawmakers also direct the department to begin submitting semi-annual reports on the status of all multiyear munitions contracts until all of the weapons covered under the awards have been delivered. 

Read the rest of the article here. 

LEGION TESTIFIES ON ECONOMIC LEGISLATION FOR VETERANS 

This article’s original publication can be found here

The Statement for the Record addressed pending legislation before the House Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. 

The American Legion submitted a Statement for the Record (SFR) to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity on Jan. 21. 

American Legion policy associate Steven Betsch submitted the SFR (download here), which addressed the Legion’s positions on pending legislation: 

· HR 982, the Warriors to Workforce Act, which the Legion supports as currently written through Resolution 305, Support the Development of Veterans On-the-Job Training Opportunities. HR 982 would increase the amount of educational assistance paid by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to an eligible individual during the first year of a full-time program of apprenticeship or other on-job training. 

· HR 2878, the Daniel J. Harvey, Jr. and Adam Lambert Improving Servicemember Transition to Reduce Veteran Suicide Act, which the Legion supports as currently written through Resolution 12: Accountability and Enhancements of Transition Assistance Program; Outcomes and Delivery for Today's Digital Transitioning Servicemembers and through Resolution 102: Expansion of the Department of Defense's Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to include Ancillary Programs and Service. This bill would create a pilot program to add a new component to the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to provide servicemembers with mental health counseling, information on services available through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and support in addressing transition challenges related to their mental health. 

· H.R. 3159, the Improving SCRA Benefit Utilization Act, which the Legion supports as currently written through Resolution 84: Support and Strengthen the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). This bill mandates financial literacy training for servicemembers at various times in their careers, specifically when they begin their service or are activated from a reserve component. 

· H.R. 4105, the Veterans Energy Transition Act of 2025, which the Legion supports as currently written through Resolution 2: Improve the Veterans Employment Initiative. This bill would direct the Secretary of Labor to carry out a grant program to help certain members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their spouses, to obtain employment in the energy industry. 

· H.R. 5436, which would prohibit an educational institution from withholding a transcript from an individual who pursued a course or program of education at such institution using Post-9/11 educational assistance. The Legion supports H.R. 5436 as currently written through Resolution 318: Ensuring the Quality of Servicemember and Veteran Student's Education at Institutions of Higher Education. 

· H.R. 5634, the Veterans Flight Training Responsibility Act of 2025, which the Legion supports as currently written through Resolution 23: Close the GI Bill Flight School Loophole. This bill would lift the roughly $28,000 annual cap on flight training and allows students to use their funding as needed, up to $100,000 over the life of the program. This change supports students who wish to complete the program at their own pace and corrects an unnecessary burden placed on flight training participants. 

The Legion also supports four drafts as currently written, including: 

· The Improving Emerging Tech Opportunities for Veterans Act, which would include high-tech and emerging technology careers in the definition of programs and require the Department of Veterans Affairs to work with the Department of Labor to identify these careers. 

· Legislation which would increase oversight of the VA Home Loan program by mandating a quarterly report from the VA on the number of home loans issued, the number of applications denied, the number of veterans who are late on mortgage payments, and the total number of employees in the VA Home Loan office. 

· The Affordable Housing Guarantee Act, which would modify the maximum guaranty amount of certain home loans guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

· Legislation to eliminate the maximum authorizations of appropriations for certain benefits for homeless veterans administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and to make permanent the authority of the Secretary to carry out certain programs for homeless veterans. 

LEGIONNAIRE OF THE WEEK

To recognize the weekly accomplishments of our Legionnaires, we will spotlight an individual every week. These individuals demonstrate exceptional grassroots activism by meeting with/contacting their Congressional Representative/Senator to advocate for veterans. Efforts like these truly make a difference and give veterans a voice in Congress. 

Leo Paquin, Department of New Hampshire

Leo, thank you for your steadfast advocacy of Legion priorities; we are honored to name you Legionnaire of the Week! 

Last week, Leo met with Senator Maggie Hassan’s Policy and Projects Assistant. The two discussed many veterans’ issues, including the SAVES Act, SHIPS Act, and GUARD VA benefits. Leo discussed possible legislation that the Senator may be working on soon. They also discussed New Hampshire specific legislation, such as NH SB66. 

Thank you, Leo, for your report and the time you have dedicated to the Legion’s legislative priorities.

If you have made a Grassroots effort and would like to be considered for next week’s "Legionnaire of the Week,” please fill out the Congressional Contact Report Form here. You can also email us at grassroots@legion.org with the details.

GRASSROOTS INFORMATION 

Interested in what the Legion is advocating for in Congress? Check out our information papers and Legislative priorities. This is a great starting point for a conversation with your elected officials!  

10 Tips for a Successful Meeting on Capitol Hill and the Legislative Meeting Worksheet are now available for viewing and download on The Legion’s website. You can find them and other legislative resources on the Legislative Advocacy Resources & Toolkit page. 

As part of our ongoing Grassroots efforts, LegDiv staff is available to provide Grassroots Training tailored to the hosting Department’s needs. If you are interested in hosting a Grassroots training event, please contact grassroots@legion.org or 

jfunari@legion.org.  

You can find relevant legislation and the Legion’s stance on them in the key legislation section of VoterVoice. 

Register for Action Alerts today at https://www.votervoice.net/ AmericanLegion/Register 

UPCOMING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS 

As of 1/23, the following hearings are scheduled:

• Tuesday, January 27, 3:00 PM: Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; Subcommittee on Disaster Management, District of Colombia, and Census Hearing -- "Examining Fraud in State and Federal Programs” 
• Wednesday, January 28, 10:00 AM: Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Full Committee Hearing -- "U.S. Policy Towards Venezuela” 
• Wednesday, January 28, 2:30 PM: Senate Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Cybersecurity Hearing -- "To receive testimony on the Department’s cyber force generation plan and the associated implementation plan” 
• Wednesday, January 28, 4:00 PM: Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Hearing -- "Building a 21st Century VA Health Care System: Assessing Efforts to Restructure the Veterans Health Administration” 
• Thursday, January 29,10:00 AM: Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Hearing -- "Evaluating Progress After Historic Investments in the U.S. Coast Guard” 

HVAC hearings can be viewed at:  Calendar Home | House Committee on Veterans Affairs

SVAC hearings can be viewed at:   Hearings - U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

HASC hearings can be viewed at:   Hearings – House Armed Services Committee 

SASC hearings can be viewed at:    Hearings – U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services

View The American Legion Legislative Handbook Here

 WEEKLY GRASSROOTS NEWSLETTER

This week, we are asking Legionnaires to contact Congress to urge them to pass H.R. 2605/S. 1441, the Service Dogs Assisting Veterans (SAVES) Act! This legislation proposes a five-year pilot program for the VA to award grants to nonprofit organizations to provide trained service dogs to eligible veterans, cover the cost of training, and provide lifelong veterinary insurance. 

The American Legion appreciates all the emails you have sent so far.  

Go to the Action Center to quickly email a letter of support to your members of Congress. 

 

Have you had a recent meeting or phone call with your member of Congress? Report your contact today! Click here to register your Congressional contact and demonstrate the power of The American Legion advocacy in action. 

NEED TO FIND YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS?https://www. votervoice.net/AmericanLegion/ Address

KNOW SOMEONE WHO SHOULD REGISTER?

https://www.votervoice.net/ AmericanLegion/Register

WASHINGTON CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 

Washington Conference is scheduled for Feb 28-Mar 5 at the Washington Hilton! The full agenda and hotel information can be found on the Legion website here. Some important dates and events to note: 

March 2 – Legislative Commission Meeting and Commander’s Call 

March 3 – ‘Know Before You Go’ briefs and Hill visits 

March 4 – National Commander’s Testimony to Joint session of Congress 

HOUSE VA COMMITTEE DELAYS MARKUP ON MORTGAGE FEE HIKE FOLLOWING CHLA CONCERNS 

This article’s original publication can be found here 

The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs indefinitely postponed Tuesday’s planned markup of a bill that would increase mortgage fees for veterans and active-duty U.S. military personnel who take out a VA loan. 

The delay comes a day after the Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) sent a letter of concern to Rep. Michael Bost, R-Ill., chairman of the committee, and to ranking member Mark Takano, D-Calif., opposing the fee hikes for loans backed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Kathleen McCarthy, Bost’s communications director for committee matters, told Scotsman Guide the markup on H.R. 6047 had been postponed "to a later date.” 

"The Committee has received the letter from CHLA,” McCarthy told Scotsman Guide. "Chairman Bost is collecting feedback from all stakeholders on the path forward for this bill, including industry — as well as disabled veterans’ groups.” 

She added that as the committee gets closer to a new date for consideration of the bill, the proposed text will be posted on its repository. 

The postponement was welcome news to Scott Olson, executive director of CHLA. 

"Again, the underlying benefits they’re seeking to confer are admirable, but we continue to ask for no mortgage fee offset to pay for this, since affordable homeownership for our veterans is so important,” Olson told Scotsman Guide. 

The fee hikes are intended to increase veterans benefits in the form of disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation. They had been included in an "amendment in the nature of a substitute” to H.R. 6047, also known as the "Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2025.” 

The proposed amendment would have raised some VA mortgage fees for 10 years — including a 30-basis-point increase in guarantee fees to 2.45% for a first-use VA mortgage and a 100-basis-point increase to 4.3% for a subsequent-use VA mortgage. 

In the CHLA letter, the group pointed to VA mortgage fee increases enacted in 2019 and then retired in 2023. 

"We were informed then that these temporary fees were needed to fund non-housing benefits for a limited time. Now, it appears that such extraneous fee hikes are back on the table, for a period of another 10 years,” the letter stated. 

The trade association asked the committee to look elsewhere for the budget offsets. It added that in the case of the VA mortgage program — an earned benefit for active-duty and veteran families — the existing guaranty fee is already well above the amount actuarially needed to keep the program safe. 

"In other words, today active-duty and veteran families are already paying twice for this earned benefit,” the letter continued. "Once when they enter the Armed Forces to defend our nation, but then again when they pay elevated and diverted fees to access what they have already earned. This is not fair to those who serve.” 

CHLA warned that not only might the committee renew the fees, but it could go a step further and add additional costs. 

"Such action would make some active-duty and veterans’ mortgages the single-most expensive federal government homeownership in the land, a great irony given that other federal mortgage programs do not require the recipient families to literally put their lives on the line — and forfeit them potentially — for our great nation,” the community lender group cautioned. 

Requests for comments by Scotsman Guide did not receive responses from the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and Disabled Veterans National Foundation. 

US NAVY VETERAN AND VA HEALTH CARE EXECUTIVE APPOINTED AS DEPARTMENT OF WAR’S TOP MEDICAL LEADER 

This article’s original publication can be found here 

Keith Bass, a retired U.S. Navy commander and career health care leader dedicated to delivering health services to active duty military and veterans, was sworn in Jan. 12, 2026, as the assistant secretary of war for health affairs. 

The former medical center director for West Texas VA Health Care System, Veterans Integrated Service Network 17, Bass brings a decades-long career of service overseeing and delivering comprehensive health care across government, the military, and the public. 

Bass succeeds Dr. Lester Martinez-López, who held the position 2022-2024. Dr. Stephen L. Ferrara has been serving as the acting assistant secretary since January 2025 and will now serve as principal deputy assistant secretary of war for health affairs. 

"It is the highest honor and a profound privilege to be entrusted with the health and well-being of our Nation's warfighters and their families,” said Bass, who was confirmed by the Senate on Jan. 5, 2026. "I am deeply committed to delivering the best health care possible and to continue in service to those who serve.” 

As the former medical center director for West Texas VA Health Care System, Veterans Integrated Service Network 17, Bass managed health care services for more than 24,000 veterans, an operating budget of $153 million, and thousands of employees. He brings a decades-long career of overseeing comprehensive health care systems across government, the military, and the public. 

During his career, Bass became the CIA’s first nonphysician director of the Office of Medical Services, leading teams of hundreds of physicians, nurses, physician assistants, and clinical psychologists who delivered health care to the agency’s workforce. 

As a former director of the White House Medical Unit, he managed medical care to the president, the vice president, and their families. Before his position at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Bass was the senior vice president at GlobalMed, managing virtual patient care programs and telehealth services for agencies including the VA, Department of War, Defense Health Agency, and the White House. 

Bass said he will leverage his comprehensive, interagency leadership experience to champion exceptional health care to warfighters and families he will serve. 

"I am deeply committed to forging a seamless, world-class healthcare experience that supports our uniformed personnel and their families from their first day of service to their last, and continues to care for them as veterans,” he said. "Our warfighters and families deserve nothing less than the absolute best.” 

Bass earned undergraduate degrees in psychology and rehabilitation science from Arkansas Tech University, and a Master of Science in rehabilitation counseling from University of Arkansas. He also holds a master’s in business administration and master’s of health care administration from Texas Women’s University, and a graduate certificate in legislative affairs from Georgetown University. 

LEGIONNAIRE OF THE WEEK

To recognize the weekly accomplishments of our Legionnaires, we will spotlight an individual every week. These individuals demonstrate exceptional grassroots activism by meeting with/contacting their Congressional Representative/Senator to advocate for veterans. Efforts like these truly make a difference and give veterans a voice in Congress. 

Alan Young, Department of Arizona

Alan, thank you for your steadfast advocacy of Legion priorities; we are honored to name you Legionnaire of the Week! 

This week, Alan met with Congressman Ciscomani’s office to discuss The Legion’s legislative priorities. He has tentatively scheduled the office to attend his next District meeting as a guest speaker.

Thank you, Alan, for your report and the time you have dedicated to the Legion’s legislative priorities.

If you have made a Grassroots effort and would like to be considered for next week’s "Legionnaire of the Week,” please fill out the Congressional Contact Report Form here. You can also email us at grassroots@legion.org with the details.

GRASSROOTS INFORMATION 

Interested in what the Legion is advocating for in Congress? Check out our information papers and Legislative priorities. This is a great starting point for a conversation with your elected officials!  

10 Tips for a Successful Meeting on Capitol Hill and the Legislative Meeting Worksheet are now available for viewing and download on The Legion’s website. You can find them and other legislative resources on the Legislative Advocacy Resources & Toolkit page. 

As part of our ongoing Grassroots efforts, LegDiv staff is available to provide Grassroots Training tailored to the hosting Department’s needs. If you are interested in hosting a Grassroots training event, please contact grassroots@legion.org or 

jfunari@legion.org.  

You can find relevant legislation and the Legion’s stance on them in the key legislation section of VoterVoice. 

Register for Action Alerts today at https://www.votervoice.net/ AmericanLegion/Register 

UPCOMING CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS 

As of 1/15, the following hearings are scheduled:

• Wednesday, January 21, 10:00 AM: House Committee on Homeland Security Hearing -- "Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security: CISA, TSA, S&T.” 
• Wednesday, January 21, 2:30 PM: House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Legislative Hearing -- "H.R. 982, the Warriors to Workforce Act; H.R. 2878, the Daniel J. Harvey, Jr. and Adam Lambert Improving Servicemember Transition to Reduce Veteran Suicide Act; H.R. 4105, the VET Act of 2025; H.R. 5634, the Veterans Flight Training Responsibility Act of 2025; Discussion Draft: the CRUISE Act; Discussion Draft: the Improving Mental Health Care and Coordination for Homeless Veterans Act; Discussion Draft: the Improving Emerging Tech Opportunities for Veterans Act; Discussion Draft: the Affordable Housing Guarantee Act; H.R. 3159, the Improving SCRA Benefit Utilization Act; H.R. 5436, To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit an educational institution from withholding a transcript from an individual who pursued a course or program of education at such institution using Post-9/11 educational assistance; Discussion Draft: To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a quarterly report on housing loans insured, guaranteed, or under laws administered by the Secretary, and for other purposes; Discussion Draft: the Veteran Housing Promise Act.” 

HVAC hearings can be viewed at:  Calendar Home | House Committee on Veterans Affairs

SVAC hearings can be viewed at:   Hearings - U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

HASC hearings can be viewed at:   Hearings – House Armed Services Committee 

SASC hearings can be viewed at:    Hearings – U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services

View The American Legion Legislative Handbook Here