Medal of Honor Act

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Bill ID: 119/hr/695
Last Updated: December 2, 2025

Sponsored by

Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22]

ID: N000026

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2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

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5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

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Bill Summary

Another exercise in legislative theater, where our esteemed representatives pretend to care about the welfare of Medal of Honor recipients while actually just grandstanding for votes and campaign donations.

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The Medal of Honor Act (HR 695) claims to increase the special pension payable to Medal of Honor recipients. How noble. In reality, it's a token gesture designed to make politicians look good without actually doing much.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:**

* Section 3 amends title 38, United States Code, to increase the rate of the special pension payable to Medal of Honor recipients. Oh, wow. A whole new subparagraph (B) is added to calculate the increased rate. I'm sure this was a Herculean effort. * The amendment ties the increased rate to the monthly compensation paid to veterans without dependents under section 1114 of title 38. Because, you know, Medal of Honor recipients are just like any other veteran... except they're not.

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:**

* Medal of Honor recipients (all 71 living ones): They'll get a slightly higher pension. Yay. * Veterans Affairs Department: More paperwork and bureaucratic nonsense to deal with. * Politicians: They'll get to tout this " accomplishment" on the campaign trail, pretending they actually care about veterans.

**Potential Impact & Implications:**

* The increased pension will be a drop in the bucket compared to the actual costs of caring for Medal of Honor recipients. It's a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. * This bill is a perfect example of "legislative lip service." Politicians get to look good without actually addressing the real issues facing veterans, like inadequate healthcare and benefits. * The extension of certain limits on payments (Section 4) is just a clever way to kick the can down the road, ensuring that the problem will still be there when the next election cycle rolls around.

Diagnosis: This bill suffers from " Politician's Disease" – a chronic condition characterized by an inability to address real problems, instead opting for superficial fixes and grandstanding. Symptoms include empty rhetoric, token gestures, and a complete disregard for the actual needs of those affected. Prognosis: more of the same.

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đź’° Campaign Finance Network

Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$96,050
19 donors
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$0
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$0
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$0
Individuals
$95,050

No PAC contributions found

No organization contributions found

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MARCHELI, DANNY
2 transactions
$10,000
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BIBB, LAURA
2 transactions
$10,000
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GONSOULIN, AL A
1 transaction
$6,600
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FISHER, KENNETH
1 transaction
$6,600
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FISHER, SHERRILYN
1 transaction
$6,600
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EMPARTIO, JOESPH
1 transaction
$5,000
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DOUDS, KENNETH
1 transaction
$5,000
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GILL, EDWARD
1 transaction
$5,000
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MARCHELI, DANIEL
1 transaction
$5,000
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DOUDS, ROBERT F JR.
1 transaction
$5,000
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BIBB, RAY
1 transaction
$5,000
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KNIGHT, MAYRA
1 transaction
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DUJKA, STEPHEN
1 transaction
$3,750
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COOLEY, WILLIAM O
1 transaction
$3,300
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WILLIAMS, GEORGE E
1 transaction
$3,300
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VANMETER, RYAN R
1 transaction
$3,300
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ADDISON, DAVID
1 transaction
$3,300
18
GEORGE, BRET A
1 transaction
$3,300

Donor Network - Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22]

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Total contributions: $96,050

Top Donors - Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22]

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Project 2025 Policy Matches

This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document. Higher similarity scores indicate stronger thematic connections.

Introduction

Low 45.3%
Pages: 688-691

— 655 — Department of Veterans Affairs ENDNOTES 1. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Division, VHA Directive 1003, “VHA Veteran Patient Experience,” April 14, 2020, pp. 1 and B-1. 2. S. 2372, VA Mission Act of 2018, Public Law No. 115-182, 115th Congress, June 6, 2018, https://www.congress. gov/115/plaws/publ182/PLAW-115publ182.pdf (accessed January 30, 2023). 3. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA History Office, “VA History,” last updated May 27, 2021, https://www. va.gov/HISTORY/VA_History/Overview.asp (accessed January 28, 2023). 4. 38 U.S. Code § 1116, https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/38/1116 (accessed January 28, 2023). 5. S. 3373, Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022), Public Law No. 117-168, 117th Congress, August 10, 2022, https://www. congress.gov/117/plaws/publ168/PLAW-117publ168.pdf (accessed January 28, 2023). 6. H.R. 2471, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law No. 117-103, 117th Congress, March 15, 2022, Division S, Title I, https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ103/PLAW-117publ103.pdf (accessed March 18, 2023). Known variously as the Department of Veterans Affairs Nurse and Physician Assistant Retention and Income Security Enhancement Act and the VA Nurse and Physician Assistant RAISE Act. 7. See note 5, supra. — 657 — Section Four THE ECONOMY The next Administration must prioritize the economic prosperity of ordi- nary Americans. For several decades, establishment “elites” have failed the citizenry by refusing to secure the border, outsourcing manufacturing to China and elsewhere, spending recklessly, regulating constantly, and generally controlling the country from the top down rather than letting it flourish from the bottom up. The proper role of government, as was articulated nearly 250 years ago, is to secure our God-given, unalienable rights in order that we might enjoy the pursuit of happiness, the benefits of free enterprise, and the blessings of liberty. Finding the right approach to trade policy is key to the fortunes of everyday Americans. In Chapter 26, president of the Competitive Enterprise Institute Kent Lassman and former White House director of trade and manufacturing policy Peter Navarro debate what an effective conservative trade policy would look like. Lass- man argues that the best trade policy is a humble, limited-government approach that would encourage free trade with all nations. He maintains that aggressive trade policies involve an increased government role that future leftist Administra- tions will utilize to push “climate change” and “equity”-based activism. Focusing more on gross domestic product (GDP) growth than on median income, he writes that “people mistakenly believe that U.S. manufacturing and the U.S. economy are in decline” when in truth “American manufacturing output is currently at an all-time high.” Meanwhile, we continue to experience “record-setting real GDP” despite our “long-run decline in manufacturing employment.” Lassman does not think that an aggressive U.S. trade policy would lead to more manufacturing jobs. Rather, he writes, “Federal Reserve research shows” that the

Introduction

Low 45.3%
Pages: 688-691

— 655 — Department of Veterans Affairs ENDNOTES 1. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Division, VHA Directive 1003, “VHA Veteran Patient Experience,” April 14, 2020, pp. 1 and B-1. 2. S. 2372, VA Mission Act of 2018, Public Law No. 115-182, 115th Congress, June 6, 2018, https://www.congress. gov/115/plaws/publ182/PLAW-115publ182.pdf (accessed January 30, 2023). 3. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA History Office, “VA History,” last updated May 27, 2021, https://www. va.gov/HISTORY/VA_History/Overview.asp (accessed January 28, 2023). 4. 38 U.S. Code § 1116, https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/38/1116 (accessed January 28, 2023). 5. S. 3373, Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022), Public Law No. 117-168, 117th Congress, August 10, 2022, https://www. congress.gov/117/plaws/publ168/PLAW-117publ168.pdf (accessed January 28, 2023). 6. H.R. 2471, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law No. 117-103, 117th Congress, March 15, 2022, Division S, Title I, https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ103/PLAW-117publ103.pdf (accessed March 18, 2023). Known variously as the Department of Veterans Affairs Nurse and Physician Assistant Retention and Income Security Enhancement Act and the VA Nurse and Physician Assistant RAISE Act. 7. See note 5, supra.

Introduction

Low 45.1%
Pages: 685-687

— 652 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise l Broaden pay and benefits in critical VA skill sets (beyond medical care occupations) to be more competitive with private-sector industry. IT, acquisition, cyber, and economists are some examples of skill sets that are difficult for the VA to recruit, largely because of the limitations of federal pay scales. l Continue to maximize the use of new VA hiring and pay authorities provided by Congress in the RAISE Act6 and PACT Act7 as well as existing authorities in student loan forgiveness and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Personnel l Foster a culture that is mission (veteran) driven, alert, engaged, and habitually responsive to the veteran, and structure an environment that promotes a flexible and agile workplace. l Increase employee satisfaction/experience to improve recruitment and retention of VA personnel. Go beyond the traditional focus on the extrinsic (monetary pay and bonuses) and seek creative ways to instill teamwork, loyalty, and pride. l Train leaders and managers to promote an energized and productive workplace culture and reward those who do it well. Ensure that senior leaders (SES) set the proper example. l Focus more attention on hiring veterans and military spouses. The percentage of veterans employed at VA has been declining. l Support the White House Office of Presidential Personnel (PPO) in identifying a fully vetted roster of candidates to assume all key positions at VA well ahead of formal nominations. The VA is the second-largest federal agency, yet it is authorized a woefully small number of PA/PAS positions when compared to other agencies of lesser size. Congress and the Office of Personnel Management should be engaged on ways to provide authorities for a higher number of non-career PA positions. The White House PPO can be inclined to discount the VA’s importance, but given the political attention that VA can generate for Congress and the media, PPO should understand the importance of finding talented political appointees to serve at VA. l Increase the number and utilization of Limited Term Appointment Senior Executive Service positions for up to three years to work on special projects to ensure talent refreshment, talent acquisition, and flexibility.

Showing 3 of 5 policy matches

About These Correlations

Policy matches are calculated using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text. A score of 60% or higher indicates meaningful thematic overlap. This does not imply direct causation or intent, but highlights areas where legislation aligns with Project 2025 policy objectives.