United States House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Standing committee of the United States House of Representatives
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The standing Committee on Veterans' Affairs in the United States House of Representatives oversees agencies, reviews current legislation, and recommends new bills or amendments concerning U.S. military veterans. Jurisdiction[1] includes retiring and disability pensions, life insurance, education (including the G.I. Bill), vocational training, medical care, and home loan guarantees. The committee oversees the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), veterans' hospitals, and veterans' cemeteries, except cemeteries under the Secretary of the Interior.
| Standing committee | |
|---|---|
| Active United States House of Representatives 119th Congress | |
| History | |
| Formed | January 3, 1947 |
| Leadership | |
| Chair | Mike Bost (R) Since January 3, 2023 |
| Ranking Member | Mark Takano (D) Since January 3, 2023 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 26 |
| Political parties | Majority (15)
|
| Jurisdiction | |
| Oversight authority | Department of Veterans Affairs |
| Senate counterpart | Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee |
| Website | |
| veterans democrats-veterans | |
The Veterans' Affairs Committee does not have legislative jurisdiction[1] over the following issues:
- Tax status of veterans benefits and contributions to Veterans Service Organizations (Committee on Ways and Means);
- Military retiree issues, including COLA's and disability pay (Committee on Armed Services);
- CHAMPUS and Tri-Care (Committee on Armed Services);
- Survivor Benefit Program (Committee on Armed Services);
- Veterans Preference in Federal civil service hiring practice (Committee on Government Reform and Oversight);
- Congressional charters for veterans service organizations (Committee on Judiciary);
- Immigration issues relating to veterans (Committee on Judiciary); and
- Issues dealing with Prisoners of War (POWs) and service members missing in action (MIAs) (Committee on Armed Services)
The committee was created by Section 121(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (Public Law 79-601), which authorized a standing committee of 27 members.
Members, 119th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
|
Resolutions electing members: H.Res. 13 (Chair), H.Res. 14 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 31 (R), H.Res. 40 (D)
According to committee members' official online biographies, ten (Barrett, Bergman, Bost, Conaway, Hamadeh, Kiggans, Luttrell, Miller-Meeks, Self, and Van Orden) of the twenty-six members are veterans.
Subcommittees
| Subcommittee | Chair[4] | Ranking Member[3] |
|---|---|---|
| Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs | Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) | Morgan McGarvey (D-KY) |
| Economic Opportunity | Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) | Chris Pappas (D-NH) |
| Health | Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) | Julia Brownley (D-CA) |
| Oversight and Investigations | Jen Kiggans (R-VA) | Delia Ramirez (D-IL) |
| Technology Modernization | Tom Barrett (R-MI) | Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) |
Leadership
Chairs of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and its predecessors are listed below.[5]
Committee on Claims (1794–1880)
- Uriah Tracy (F), CT 1794–1796
- Dwight Foster (F), MA 1796–1800
- Nathaniel Macon (D), NC 1800–1801
- John Smith (F), CT 1801–1806
- David Holmes (NP), VA 1806–1809
- Richard Johnson (D), KY 1809–1810
- Erastus Root (D), NY 1810–1811
- Burwell Bassett (D), VA 1811–1812
- Thomas Gholson (D), VA 1812–1813
- Stevenson Archer (D), MD 1813–1814
- Bartlett Yancey (NP), NC 1814–1816
- Lewis Williams (NP), NC 1816–1828
- William McCoy (D), VA 1828–1829
- Elisha Whittlesey (NP), OH 1829–1838
- John Chambers (W), KY 1838–1839
- David Russell (W), NY 1839–1840
- Joshua Giddings (ASW), OH 1840–1843
- Joseph Vance (W), OH 1843–1846
- John R. J. Daniel (D), NC 1846–1847
- John A. Rockwell (W), CT 1847–1849
- John R. J. Daniel (D), NC 1849–1853
- Alfred Edgerton (D), OH 1853–1855
- Joshua Giddings (ASW), OH 1855–1857
- Samuel S. Marshall (D), IL 1857–1859
- Mason Tappan (R), NH 1859–1861
- Reuben Fenton (R), NY 1861-1863
- James Hale (R), PA 1863–1864
- Columbus Delano (R), OH 1864–1867
- John Bingham (R), OH 1867–1869
- William B. Washburn (R), MA 1869–1871
- Austin Blair (R), MI 1871–1873
- John B. Hawley (R), IL 1873–1875
- John M. Bright (D), TN 1875–1880
Committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims (1813–1826)
- Samuel D. Ingham (Je. D), PA 1813–1814
- John Chappell (SRWD), SC 1814–1816
- John Rhea (D), TN 1816–1823
- Peter Little (D), MD 1823–1826
Committee on Revolutionary Pensions (1825)
| Name | Party | State | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Hemphill | Jacksonian | Pennsylvania | 1825 | |
Committee on Military Pensions (1825–1831)
| Name | Party | State | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tristam Burges | National Republican | Rhode Island | 1825 | 1828 |
| James Mitchell | Jacksonian | Tennessee | 1828 | 1829 |
| Isaac Bates | National Republican | Massachusetts | 1829 | 1830 |
| James Trezvant | Jacksonian | Virginia | 1830 | 1831 |
Committee on Revolutionary Claims (1825–1974)
- Robert Allen (D), TN 1825–1827
- George Wolf (D), PA 1827–1829
- Henry Muhlenberg (JD), PA 1829–1838
- Robert Craig (D), VA 1838–1840
- Joseph Randolph (W), NJ 1840–1841
- Hiland Hall (W), VT 1841–1843
- Richard D. Davis (D), NY 1843–1845
- Joseph Johnson (D), VA 1845–1847
- Daniel P. King (W), MA 1847–1849
- Cullen Sawtelle (D), ME 1849–1851
- Moses Macdonald (D), ME 1851–1853
- Rufus Peckham (D), NY 1853–1855
- David Ritchie (R), PA 1855–1857
- Samuel S. Cox (D), OH 1857–1859
- George Briggs (AP), NY 1859–1861
- R. Holland Duell (R), NY 1861–1863
- Hiram Price (R), IA 1863–1865
- Kellian Whaley (R), WV 1865–1867
- Hamilton Ward (R), NY 1867–1869
- Sempronius H. Boyd (R), MO 1868–1871
- Alexander S. Wallace (R), SC 1871–1873
Committee on Invalid Pensions (1831–1946)
- Tristam Burges (NP), RI 1831–1835
- Jesse Miller (D), PA 1835–1836
- James M. H. Beale (D), VA 1836–1837
- William Taylor (D), NY 1837–1839
- Sherrod Williams (W), KY 1839–1841
- Calvary Morris (W), OH 1841–1843
- Jacob Brinkerhoff (D), OH 1843–1846
- Preston King (D), NY 1846–1847
- Henry Nes (I), PA 1848–1849
- Andrew S. Fulton (W), VA 1849–1850
- Shepherd Leffler (D), IA 1850–1852
- Isham G. Harris (D), TN 1852–1853
- Thomas A. Hendricks (D), IN 1853–1855
- Andrew Oliver (D), NY 1855–1857
- Joshua Jewett (D), KY 1857–1859
- Reuben Fenton (R), NY 1859–1861
- Alfred Ely (R), NY 1861–1863
- Kellian Whaley (R), WV 1863–1864
- Sidney Perham (R), ME 1864–1869
- John F. Benjamin (RR), MO 1869–1871
- Jesse H. Moore (R), IL 1871–1873
- Jeremiah M. Rusk (R), WI 1873–1875
- George A. Jenks (D), PA 1875–1877
- Americus V. Rice (D), OH 1877–1879
- Alexander H. Coffroth (D), PA 1879–1880
- Thomas M. Browne (R), IN 1880–1882
- Courtland C. Matson (D), IN 1883–1889
- Edmund N. Morrill (R), KS 1889–1891
- Augustus N. Martin (D) IN 1891–1895
- John Pickler (R), SD 1895–1896
- George W. Ray (R), NY 1896–1899
- Cyrus A. Sulloway (R), NH 1899–1911
- Isaac R. Sherwood (D), OH 1911–1919
- Charles Fuller (R), IL 1919–1925
- Richard N. Elliott (R), IN 1925–1926
- William I. Swoope (R), PA 1926–1927
- William T. Fitzgerald (R), OH 1927–1929
- John M. Nelson (R), WI 1929–1931
- Mell G. Underwood (D), OH 1931–1936
- John Lesinski (D), MI 1937–1945
- Augustine B. Kelley (D), PA 1946
Committee on Revolutionary Pensions (1831–1880)
- Henry Hubbard (D), NH 1831–1833
- Daniel Wardwell (R), NY 1833–1837
- William S. Morgan (D), VA 1837–1839
- John Taliaferro (W), VA 1839–1843
- George O. Rathbun (D), NY 1843–1844
- David L. Seymour (D), NY 1844–1845
- Richard Brodhead (D), PA 1845–1847
- William Cocke (D), TN 1847–1849
- Loren P. Waldo (D), CT 1849–1851
- John Millson (D), VA 1851–1853
- William M. Churchwell (D), TN 1853–1855
- Jacob Broom (AW), PA 1855–1856
- John Hickman (R), PA 1856–1860
- John F. Potter (R), WI 1860–1861
- Charles Van Wyck (R), NY 1861–1863
- DeWitt Littlejohn (R), NY 1863–1865
- Walter D. McIndoe (R), WI 1865–1867
- Benjamin F. Loan (Rad), MO 1867–1869
- John T. Deweese (D), NC 1969
- Charles W. Willard (R), VT 1869–1873
- Lazarus D. Shoemaker (R), PA 1873–1875
- Eppa Hunton (D), VA 1875–1877
- Levi A. Mackey (D), PA 1877–1879
- John Whiteaker (D), OR 1879–1880
Committee on War Claims (1873–1946)
- William Lawrence (R), OH 1873–1875
- John R. Eden (D), IL 1875–1879
- Edward S. Bragg (D), WI 1879–1881
- Leonidas C. Houk (R), TN 1881–1883
- George W. Geddes (D), OH 1883–1887
- William J. Stone (D), KY 1887–1889
- Ormsby B. Thomas (R), WI 1889–1891
- Frank E. Beltzhoover (D), PA 1891–1895
- Thaddeus M. Mahon (R), PA 1895–1907
- Kittredge Haskins (R), VT 1907–1909
- Charles B. Law (R), NY 1909–1911
- Thetus W. Sims (D), TN 1911–1913
- Alexander W. Gregg (D), TX 1913–1919
- Benjamin K. Focht (R), PA 1919–1921
- Bertrand Snell (R), NY 1921–1923
- James G. Strong (R), KS 1923–1930
- Miles C. Allgood (D), AL 1931–1934
- Wilburn Cartwright (D), OK 1935
- John H. Hoeppel (D), CA 1936
- Joseph A. Gavagan (D), NY 1937
- Alfred F. Beiter (D), NY 1938
- Reuben T. Wood (D), MO 1939–1941
- Joseph A. Gavagan (D), NY 1941–1944
- Edward J. Hart (D), NJ 1944
- Clair Engle (D), CA 1945–1946
Committee on Pensions (1880–1946)
| Name | Party | State | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Whiteaker | Democratic | Oregon | 1880 | 1881 |
| Benjamin Marsh | Republican | Illinois | 1881 | 1883 |
| Goldsmith Hewitt | Democratic | Alabama | 1883 | 1885 |
| Nathaniel Eldredge | Democratic | Michigan | 1885 | 1887 |
| Archibald Bliss | Democratic | New York | 1887 | 1889 |
| Milton De Lano | Republican | New York | 1889 | 1891 |
| Robert Wilson | Democratic | Missouri | 1891 | 1894 |
| Charles Moses | Democratic | Georgia | 1894 | 1895 |
| Henry Loudenslager | Republican | New Jersey | 1895 | 1911 |
| William Richardson | Democratic | Alabama | 1911 | 1914 |
| John Key | Democratic | Ohio | 1914 | 1919 |
| Sam Sells | Republican | Tennessee | 1919 | 1921 |
| Harold Knutson | Republican | Minnesota | 1921 | 1930 |
| William Kopp | Republican | Iowa | 1930 | |
| Allard Gasque | Democratic | South Carolina | 1931 | 1938 |
| Martin Smith | Democratic | Washington | 1939 | 1942 |
| Charles Buckley | Democratic | New York | 1943 | 1946 |
Committee on World War Veterans Legislation (1924–1946)
| Name | Party | State | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Johnson | Republican | South Dakota | 1924 | 1931 |
| John Rankin | Democratic | Mississippi | 1931 | 1946 |
Committee on Veterans' Affairs (1947–present)
| Name | Party | State | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edith Rogers | Republican | Massachusetts | 1947 | 1949 |
| John Rankin | Democratic | Mississippi | 1949 | 1953 |
| Edith Rogers | Republican | Massachusetts | 1953 | 1955 |
| Olin Teague | Democratic | Texas | 1955 | 1973 |
| William Dorn | Democratic | South Carolina | 1973 | 1975 |
| Ray Roberts | Democratic | Texas | 1975 | 1981 |
| Gillespie Montgomery | Democratic | Mississippi | 1981 | 1995 |
| Bob Stump | Republican | Arizona | 1995 | 2001 |
| Chris Smith | Republican | New Jersey | 2001 | 2005 |
| Steve Buyer | Republican | Indiana | 2005 | 2007 |
| Bob Filner | Democratic | California | 2007 | 2011 |
| Jeff Miller | Republican | California | 2011 | 2017 |
| Phil Roe | Republican | Tennessee | 2017 | 2019 |
| Mark Takano | Democratic | California | 2019 | 2023 |
| Mike Bost | Republican | Illinois | 2023 | present |
| Name | Party | State | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Rankin | Democratic | Mississippi | 1947 | 1949 |
| Edith Rogers | Republican | Massachusetts | 1949 | 1953 |
| Olin Teague | Democratic | Texas | 1953 | 1955 |
| Edith Rogers | Republican | Massachusetts | 1955 | 1960 |
| William Ayres | Republican | Ohio | 1961 | 1965 |
| Ross Adair | Republican | Indiana | 1965 | 1969 |
| Charles Teague | Republican | California | 1969 | 1973 |
| John Hammerschmidt | Republican | Arkansas | 1973 | 1987 |
| Gerald Solomon | Republican | New York | 1987 | 1989 |
| Bob Stump | Republican | Arizona | 1989 | 1995 |
| Sonny Montgomery | Democratic | Mississippi | 1995 | 1997 |
| Lane Evans | Democratic | Illinois | 1997 | 2007 |
| Steve Buyer | Republican | Indiana | 2007 | 2011 |
| Bob Filner | Democratic | California | 2011 | 2012 |
| Mike Michaud | Democratic | Maine | 2012 | 2015 |
| Corrine Brown | Democratic | Florida | 2015 | 2016 |
| Mark Takano Acting |
Democratic | California | 2016 | 2017 |
| Tim Walz | Democratic | Minnesota | 2017 | 2019 |
| Phil Roe | Republican | Tennessee | 2019 | 2021 |
| Mike Bost | Republican | Illinois | 2021 | 2023 |
| Mark Takano | Democratic | California | 2023 | present |
Past committee rosters
118th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
|
Resolutions electing members: H.Res. 14 (Chair), H.Res. 15 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 79 (D), H.Res. 80 (R)
According to committee members' official online biographies, seven (Bergman, Brown, Ellzey, Luria, Miller-Meeks, Nehls and Sablan) of the thirty-one members are veterans.
- Subcommittees
| Subcommittee | Chair[6] | Ranking Member[7] |
|---|---|---|
| Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs | Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) | Chris Pappas (D-NH) |
| Economic Opportunity | Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) | Mike Levin (D-CA) |
| Health | Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) | Julia Brownley (D-CA) |
| Oversight and Investigations | Jen Kiggans (R-VA) | Frank J. Mrvan (D-IN) |
| Technology Modernization | Matt Rosendale (R-MT) | Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) |
117th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
|
Resolutions electing members: H.Res. 9 (Chair), H.Res. 10 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 62 (D), H.Res. 63 (R), H.Res. 92 (D), H.Res. 111 (D), H.Res. 602 (R), H.Res. 902 (D), H.Res. 1197 (R)
According to committee members' official online biographies, ten (Banks, Bergman, Brown, Ellzey, Gallego, Lamb, Luria, Miller-Meeks, Nehls and Sablan) of the thirty-one members are veterans.
- Subcommittees
| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking Member |
|---|---|---|
| Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs | Elaine Luria (D-VA) | Troy Nehls (R-TX) |
| Economic Opportunity | Mike Levin (D-CA) | Barry Moore (R-AL) |
| Health | Julia Brownley (D-CA) | Jack Bergman (R-MI) |
| Oversight and Investigations | Chris Pappas (D-NH) | Tracey Mann (R-KS) |
| Technology Modernization | Frank J. Mrvan (D-IN) | Matt Rosendale (R-MT) |
116th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
|
Sources: H.Res. 24 (Chair), H.Res. 25 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 57 (D), H.Res. 68 (R), H.Res. 148 (D), H.Res. 712 (D)
According to committee members' official online biographies, thirteen (Banks, Bergman, Bost, Cisneros, Dunn, Lamb, Luria, Peterson, Roe, Rose, Sablan, Steube, Watkins) of the twenty-eight members are veterans.
- Subcommittees
| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking Member |
|---|---|---|
| Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs | Elaine Luria (D-VA) | Mike Bost (R-IL) |
| Economic Opportunity | Mike Levin (D-CA) | Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) |
| Health | Julia Brownley (D-CA) | Neal Dunn (R-FL) |
| Oversight and Investigations | Chris Pappas (D-NH) | Jack Bergman (R-MI) |
| Technology Modernization | Susie Lee (D-NV) | Jim Banks (R-IN) |
115th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
|
Sources: H.Res. 6 (Chair), H.Res. 45 (D), H.Res. 51 (R), H.Res. 52 (D), H.Res. 833 (D)
According to committee members' official online biographies, eleven (Banks, Bergman, Bost, Coffman, Dunn, Higgins, Lamb, Roe, Sablan, Walz, Wenstrup) of the twenty-five members are veterans.
114th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
|
Resolutions electing Republican members: H.Res. 6 (Chairs)
Resolutions electing Democratic members: H.Res. 7, H.Res. 30, H.Res. 40 and H.Res. 77
