Mark Takano says Republicans passed the largest cut to veterans' benefits by voice vote because they could not defend it

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House passes veterans package by voice vote on Veterans Day; Takano and the VFW say Republicans avoided a recorded vote, and Republicans say Democrats did not ask for one

On Veterans Day, November 11, 2026, the House passed H.R. 9237, the Take Care of America's Veterans Act, by voice vote, so no member's vote was recorded. The package combines more than 60 veterans bills, including a version of the Major Richard Star Act, and pays for them in part with cuts to some future disability claims, which most Democrats oppose. Mark Takano, the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, told Politico that he and his staff were negotiating last-minute changes away from the podium when the vote was called, and that no Democrat asked for a recorded vote "because of the treachery and trickery of the majority." Republicans said Democrats neglected to request a roll call, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise said the bill had already passed. The Veterans of Foreign Wars, which opposed the bill, called its passage cowardly and dishonorable. Committee chairman Mike Bost called the package a historic healthcare and benefits expansion and said he would work with the Senate to pass it before the end of the year.