National Veterans Strategy Act of 2026

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Bill ID: 119/s/3726
Last Updated: May 11, 2026

Sponsored by

Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]

ID: M000934

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held.

April 28, 2026

Introduced

Committee Review

📍 Current Status

Next: The bill moves to the floor for full chamber debate and voting.

🗳️

Floor Action

Passed Senate

🏛️

House Review

🎉

Passed Congress

🖊️

Presidential Action

⚖️

Became Law

📚 How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

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

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

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

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

Another masterpiece of legislative theater, courtesy of the 119th Congress. The National Veterans Strategy Act of 2026 is a perfect example of how politicians can take a noble cause and turn it into a bureaucratic farce.

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The bill's main purpose is to require the President to define "veteran success" and develop a National Veterans Strategy to help veterans achieve said success. Because, you know, defining success is exactly what veterans need – another layer of bureaucratic red tape. The objectives are predictably vague, with plenty of feel-good language about helping veterans achieve well-being in various areas, including physical health, mental health, and economic security.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill amends title 38 of the United States Code by adding a new section that requires the President to establish metrics for determining veteran success. These metrics will be developed in collaboration with a laundry list of stakeholders, including Congress, various Secretaries, state and local governments, veterans service organizations, and private sector companies. Because what could possibly go wrong when you have that many cooks in the kitchen? The bill also requires the President to submit a National Veterans Strategy to Congress every four years, which will outline how to align resources to help veterans achieve success.

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The list of stakeholders is a veritable who's who of government agencies, non-profits, and private sector companies. It's a regular buffet of special interests, all clamoring for a piece of the veteran pie. Veterans themselves are, of course, the supposed beneficiaries of this bill, but let's be real – they're just pawns in a game of bureaucratic one-upmanship.

**Potential Impact & Implications:** The potential impact of this bill is to create another layer of bureaucracy, more paperwork, and additional opportunities for politicians to grandstand about their support for veterans. In reality, it will likely do little to address the actual needs of veterans, such as access to quality healthcare, education, and employment opportunities. The implications are clear: more money will be wasted on administrative costs, more time will be spent on meetings and reports, and fewer resources will actually reach the veterans who need them.

In short, this bill is a classic case of legislative placebo – it looks good on paper, but does nothing to address the underlying problems. It's a symptom of a deeper disease: the inability of politicians to actually solve problems, instead opting for feel-good legislation that sounds good in campaign ads. As I always say, "Everyone lies, and politicians are just more creative about it." This bill is a perfect example of that creativity in action.

Related Topics

Military & Veterans Affairs Defense Spending & Procurement Federal Budget & Appropriations
Generated using Llama 3.1 70B (Dr. Haus personality)

💰 Campaign Finance Network

Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$81,200
17 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$0
Committees
$0
Individuals
$81,200

No PAC contributions found

No organization contributions found

No committee contributions found

1
BORCK, LEON H.
1 transaction
$6,600
2
MANDELBLATT, DANIELLE
1 transaction
$6,600
3
MANDELBLATT, ERIC
1 transaction
$6,600
4
BORCK, JACKIE
2 transactions
$6,600
5
DWYER, JOHN W
2 transactions
$6,600
6
DWYER, NANCY E
2 transactions
$6,600
7
CATZ, SAFRA
1 transaction
$5,000
8
MISSION INDIANS, MORONGO BAND OF
1 transaction
$5,000
9
WILLIS, THOMAS M
1 transaction
$5,000
10
WEILERT, STANLEY R
1 transaction
$3,500
11
THOMAS, ROBERT
1 transaction
$3,300
12
LEPRINO, TERRY L
1 transaction
$3,300
13
POTAWATOMI NATION, PRAIRIE BAND
1 transaction
$3,300
14
BUKOWSKY, BROCK
1 transaction
$3,300
15
OF CREEK INDIANS, POARCH BAND
1 transaction
$3,300
16
BRIGHT, JOHN
1 transaction
$3,300
17
HEMMER, THOMAS
1 transaction
$3,300

Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance

This bill has 7 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.

Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]

ID: B001277

Top Contributors

10

1
OLSON, LYNDON
NOT EMPLOYED NOT EMPLOYED
Individual WACO, TX
$3,300
Dec 20, 2024
2
ALIX, JAY
ALIX PARTNERS FOUNDER
Individual BIRMINGHAM, MI
$3,300
Oct 2, 2023
3
KIM, CHRISTINE M.
BBB LLC ATTORNEY
Individual NEW YORK, NY
$3,300
Oct 31, 2023
4
ALIX, JAY
ALIX PARTNERS FOUNDER
Individual BIRMINGHAM, MI
$3,300
Apr 15, 2024
5
ROURE, RITA
PAGNY - LINCOLN HOSPITAL PHYSICIAN
Individual GREENWICH, CT
$3,300
Apr 10, 2024
6
ROURE, RITA
PAGNY - LINCOLN HOSPITAL PHYSICIAN
Individual GREENWICH, CT
$3,300
Apr 10, 2024
7
CHAVEZ, TOM
KRUX INC. CEO
Individual SAN FRANCISCO, CA
$3,300
Jul 13, 2024
8
CHAVEZ, TOM
KRUX INC. CEO
Individual SAN FRANCISCO, CA
$3,300
Jul 13, 2024
9
JONES, JERRY C.
LIVERAMP INC. EXECUTIVE
Individual LITTLE ROCK, AR
$3,300
Sep 19, 2024
10
NESSEL, ARIEL
NESSEL DEVELOPMENT OWNER
Individual ROSS, CA
$3,300
Jul 12, 2024

Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA]

ID: C001075

Top Contributors

10

1
YAWITZ, JESS B. MR.
RETIRED RETIRED
Individual SAINT LOUIS, MO
$14,000
Jun 11, 2024
2
MANDELBLATT, DANIELLE
DMM PROPRIETA MANAGEMENT MANAGER
Individual ASPEN, CO
$9,900
Nov 2, 2023
3
MANDELBLATT, ERIC
SOROBAN CAPITAL PARTNERS LP MANAGING PARTNER
Individual ASPEN, CO
$9,900
Nov 2, 2023
4
JAYASINGHE, SAMAN K. DR.
SELF-EMPLOYED PHYSICIAN
Individual BATON ROUGE, LA
$9,900
Jun 13, 2024
5
KARP, ALEXANDER C.
PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES CEO
Individual BEDFORD, NH
$9,900
Apr 16, 2024
6
OBERNDORF, SUSAN
HOMEMAKER HOMEMAKER
Individual SAN FRANCISCO, CA
$9,900
Jun 5, 2024
7
OBERNDORF, WILLIAM
OBERNDORF ENTERPRISES OWNER
Individual SAN FRANCISCO, CA
$9,900
Jun 5, 2024
8
YAWITZ, ALICE G.
RETIRED RETIRED
Individual ST. LOUIS, MO
$9,900
Jun 18, 2024
9
GRIGSBY, BOBBI F. MRS.
HOMEMAKER HOMEMAKER
Individual BATON ROUGE, LA
$6,600
Dec 23, 2024
10
GRIGSBY, L. LANE MR.
CAJUN INDUSTRIES LLC CHAIRMAN EMERITUS
Individual BATON ROUGE, LA
$6,600
Dec 23, 2024

Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]

ID: B001243

Top Contributors

10

1
FRIENDS OF COMMUNITY ONCOLOGY PAC
PAC VIRGINIA BEACH, VA
$5,000
Apr 12, 2023
2
THE COGGIN GROUP
Organization MURFREESBORO, TN
$2,900
Mar 9, 2023
3
THE COGGIN GROUP
Organization MURFREESBORO, TN
$2,500
Mar 9, 2023
4
DOSS BROTHERS FARM
Organization LAWRENCEBURG, TN
$1,000
Apr 17, 2024
5
DOSS BROTHERS FARM
Organization LAWRENCEBURG, TN
$1,000
Mar 18, 2024
6
BL PARTNERS GROUP LLC
Organization ARLINGTON, VA
$500
Mar 17, 2023
7
KING, RODNEY W.
SELF-EMPLOYED ATTORNEY
Individual GERMANTOWN, TN
$13,200
Apr 4, 2024
8
BEAN, BILL G.
HANNING & BEAN ENTERPRISES INC. REAL ESTATE INVESTOR
Individual COLUMBIA CITY, IN
$10,000
May 1, 2024
9
SMITH, THOMAS
PRESCOTT INVESTORS INC. INVESTOR
Individual BOCA RATON, FL
$10,000
May 13, 2024
10
GAMBLE, KATHRYN
UNAKA CO BUSINESS EXECUTIVE
Individual DALLAS, TX
$9,900
Jul 15, 2024

Sen. Boozman, John [R-AR]

ID: B001236

Top Contributors

10

1
CHEROKEE NATION
Organization TAHLEQUAH, OK
$3,300
Oct 3, 2024
2
SHAKOPEE MDEKEWAKANTON COMMUNITY
Organization PRIOR LAKE, MN
$3,300
Nov 7, 2023
3
SHAKOPEE MDEKEWAKANTON COMMUNITY
Organization PRIOR LAKE, MN
$3,300
Jun 27, 2024
4
BJERKE, TYLER
HERITAGE INSURANCE SERVICES SALES
Individual FARGO, ND
$5,000
Mar 22, 2023
5
LEPRINO, TERRY
LEPRINO FARMS BOARD DIRECTOR
Individual DENVER, CO
$3,300
Dec 6, 2024
6
POWELL, JESSE
PAYWARD INC. CEO
Individual SAN FRANCISCO, CA
$3,300
Nov 5, 2024
7
POWELL, JESSE
PAYWARD INC. CEO
Individual SAN FRANCISCO, CA
$3,300
Nov 5, 2024
8
STEPHENS, WARREN MR.
STEPHENS INC PRESIDENT
Individual LITTLE ROCK, AR
$3,300
Jul 7, 2023
9
STEPHENS, WARREN MR.
STEPHENS INC PRESIDENT
Individual LITTLE ROCK, AR
$3,300
Jul 7, 2023
10
WALTON, ALICE L.. MS.
SELF-EMPLOYED PHILANTHROPIST
Individual BENTONVILLE, AR
$3,300
Aug 11, 2023

Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA]

ID: M001243

Top Contributors

10

1
SIG SAUER PAC
PAC PORTSMOUTH, NH
$2,500
Oct 4, 2024
2
SEGURO MEDICO LLC
Organization READING, PA
$10,000
Aug 21, 2024
3
CLEMENTS MIDWAY PARTNERS LLC
Organization SALT LAKE CITY, UT
$10,000
Sep 16, 2024
4
BLOOMSBURG INDUSTRIAL VENTURES LLC
Organization BLOOMSBURG, PA
$4,000
Apr 23, 2024
5
SUN CENTER LP
Organization ASTON, PA
$2,500
Dec 12, 2023
6
UTILITY ADVISORY GROUP LLC
Organization HAVERTOWN, PA
$1,500
May 7, 2024
7
MODEVITY LLC
Organization MALVERN, PA
$1,500
May 24, 2024
8
O'DONNELL PARTNERS LLC
Organization MALVERN, PA
$1,500
May 24, 2024
9
KRAUSE & ASSOCIATES LP
Organization AUSTIN, TX
$1,000
Dec 20, 2023
10
BLOOMSBURG INDUSTRIAL VENTURES LLC
Organization BLOOMSBURG, PA
$700
Apr 23, 2024

Sen. Slotkin, Elissa [D-MI]

ID: S001208

Top Contributors

10

1
MATCH-E-BE-NASH-SHE-WISH BAND OF POTTAWATOMI INDIANS
Organization SHELBYVILLE, MI
$3,300
Oct 31, 2024
2
SAULT STE. MARIE TRIBE OF CHIPPEWA INDIANS
Organization SAULT SAINTE MARIE, MI
$3,300
Oct 31, 2024
3
CHEROKEE NATION
Organization TAHLEQUAH, OK
$3,300
Dec 31, 2023
4
THE CHICKASAW NATION
Organization ADA, OK
$3,300
Mar 21, 2024
5
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
Organization PRIOR LAKE, MN
$3,300
Jun 30, 2024
6
THE CHICKASAW NATION
Organization ADA, OK
$3,300
Jun 10, 2024
7
MASHANTUCKET PEQUOT TRIBAL NATION
Organization MASHANTUCKET, CT
$3,300
Sep 29, 2023
8
MATCH-E-BE-NASH-SHE-WISH BAND OF POTTAWATOMI INDIANS
Organization SHELBYVILLE, MI
$3,300
Sep 29, 2023
9
SEMINOLE TRIBE OF FLORIDA
Organization HOLLYWOOD, FL
$3,300
Sep 29, 2023
10
HABEMATOLEL POMO OF UPPER LAKE
Organization UPPER LAKE, CA
$3,300
Sep 27, 2024

Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]

ID: D000622

Top Contributors

10

1
AMERICAN EXPRESS
Organization NEWARK, NJ
$6,132
Feb 7, 2023
2
AMERICAN EXPRESS
Organization NEWARK, NJ
$605
Mar 3, 2023
3
CITIBUSINESS CARD
Organization COLUMBUS, OH
$347
Jan 10, 2023
4
CITIBUSINESS CARD
Organization COLUMBUS, OH
$254
Feb 7, 2023
5
AMERICAN EXPRESS
Organization NEWARK, NJ
$98
Jan 10, 2023
6
CITIBUSINESS CARD
Organization COLUMBUS, OH
$74
Mar 3, 2023
7
KELLY, MICHAEL
WALKUP LAW FIRM ATTORNEY
Individual SAN FRANCISCO, CA
$3,300
Oct 7, 2024
8
LISTER, AMANDA
N/A NOT EMPLOYED
Individual NEW YORK, NY
$3,300
Oct 17, 2024
9
SUMEY, ROGER
Individual ELLICOTT CITY, MD
$3,300
Oct 11, 2023
10
CHEN, QIANHUI
RENAISSANCE TECHNOLOGIES LLC ANALYST
Individual SETAUKET, NY
$3,300
Mar 2, 2024

Donor Network - Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

Loading...

Showing 34 nodes and 35 connections

Total contributions: $167,700

Top Donors - Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]

Showing top 17 donors by contribution amount

17 Individuals

Industry Impact

Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 6 helped.

  • +Health Insurance confidence 0.80

    Section 3(b)(5) provides direction for what benefits and services should be applied to assist veterans who do not meet the metrics established under subsection (a)(1) in certain areas of health and well-being, which may involve health insurance services.

  • Section 3(b)(5) provides direction for what benefits and services should be applied to assist veterans who do not meet the metrics established under subsection (a)(1) in certain areas of health and well-being, which may involve hospital services.

  • +Pharmaceuticals confidence 0.80

    Section 3(b)(5) provides direction for what benefits and services should be applied to assist veterans who do not meet the metrics established under subsection (a)(1) in certain areas of health and well-being, which may involve pharmaceutical services.

  • +Medical Devices confidence 0.80

    Section 3(b)(5) provides direction for what benefits and services should be applied to assist veterans who do not meet the metrics established under subsection (a)(1) in certain areas of health and well-being, which may involve medical device services.

  • Section 3(b)(5) provides direction for what benefits and services should be applied to assist veterans who do not meet the metrics established under subsection (a)(1) in certain areas of health and well-being, which may involve long-term care services.

  • Section 3(b)(5) mentions education as an area where benefits and services should be applied to assist veterans, which may involve for-profit educational institutions

Project 2025 Policy Matches

This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document. AI-enhanced analysis provides detailed alignment ratings.

Introduction

Moderate
Vector: 63%
Pages: 679-681 AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The National Veterans Strategy Act of 2026 and the Project 2025 policy share moderate alignment through their focus on improving veteran well-being, healthcare, and support services, although they approach these goals from different angles. The bill's emphasis on a comprehensive strategy and stakeholder collaboration resonates with the policy's objectives for VA reform and improvement."

Key themes: veteran well-being healthcare improvement support services stakeholder collaboration

— 646 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise 3. Section 121 (developing and administering an education program that teaches veterans about their health care options available from the Department of Veterans Affairs). 4. Section 152 (returning the Office for Innovation of Care and Payment to the Office of Enterprise Integration with a joint governance process set up with the VHA). 5. Section 161 (overhauling Family Caregiver Program expansion, which has gone poorly, so that it focuses on consistency of eligibility and awareness that the most severely wounded or injured may require the program indefinitely). l Require the VHA to report publicly on all aspects of its operation, including quality, safety, patient experience, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness, using standards similar to those in the Medicare Accountable Care Organization program so that the government may monitor and achieve continuous improvement in the VA system more effectively. l Encourage VA Medical Centers to seek out relevant academic and private- sector input in their communities to improve the overall patient experience. Budget l Conduct an independent audit of the VA similar to the 2018 Department of Defense (DOD) audit to identify IT, management, financial, contracting, and other deficiencies. l Assess the misalignment of VHA facilities and rising infrastructure costs. The VHA operates 172 inpatient medical facilities nationally that are an average of 60 years old. Some of these facilities are underutilized and inadequately staffed. Facilities in certain urban and rural areas are seeing significant declines in the veteran population and strong competition for fresh medical staff. In 2018, Congress authorized an Asset Infrastructure Review (AIR) of national VHA medical markets to provide insight into where the VA health care budget should be responsibly allocated to serve veterans most effectively. However, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee lacked the political will to act on the White House’s nominations of commission members, and this ultimately led to termination of the AIR process. The next Administration should seek out agile, creative, and politically acceptable operational solutions to this aging infrastructure status quo, — 647 — Department of Veterans Affairs reimagine the health care footprint in some locales, and spur a realignment of capacity through budgetary allocations. Specifically: 1. Embrace the expansion of Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) as an avenue to maintain a VA footprint in challenging medical markets without investing further in obsolete and unaffordable VA health care campuses. 2. Explore the potential to pilot facility-sharing partnerships between the VA and strained local health care systems to reduce costs by leveraging limited talent and resources. Personnel l Extend the term of the Under Secretary for Health (USH) to five years. Additionally, authority should be given to reappoint this individual for a second five-year term both to allow for continuity and to protect the USH from political transition. l Establish a Senior Executive Service (SES) position of VHA Care System Chief Information Officer (CIO), selected by and reporting to the chief of the VHA Care System with a dotted line to the VA CIO. l Identify a workflow process to bring wait times in compliance with VA MISSION Act–required time frames wherever possible. 1. Assess the daily clinical appointment load for physicians and clinical staff in medical facilities where wait times for care are well outside of the time frames required by the VA MISSION Act. 2. Require VHA facilities to increase the number of patients seen each day to equal the number seen by DOD medical facilities: approximately 19 patients per provider per day. Currently, VA facilities may be seeing as few as six patients per provider per day. 3. Consider a pilot program to extend weekday appointment hours and offer Saturday appointment options to veterans if a facility continues to demonstrate that it has excess capacity and is experiencing delays in the delivery of care for veterans. 4. Identify clinical services that are consistently in high demand but require cost-prohibitive compensation to recruit and retain talent, and examine exceptions for higher competitive pay.

Introduction

Moderate
Vector: 63%
Pages: 679-681 AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The National Veterans Strategy Act of 2026 and the Project 2025 policy share moderate alignment through their focus on improving veteran well-being and healthcare, although they approach these goals from different angles. The bill's emphasis on a comprehensive strategy for veteran success and the policy's specific reforms to the VA system indicate some overlap in objectives."

Key themes: veteran well-being healthcare reform VA system improvement

— 646 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise 3. Section 121 (developing and administering an education program that teaches veterans about their health care options available from the Department of Veterans Affairs). 4. Section 152 (returning the Office for Innovation of Care and Payment to the Office of Enterprise Integration with a joint governance process set up with the VHA). 5. Section 161 (overhauling Family Caregiver Program expansion, which has gone poorly, so that it focuses on consistency of eligibility and awareness that the most severely wounded or injured may require the program indefinitely). l Require the VHA to report publicly on all aspects of its operation, including quality, safety, patient experience, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness, using standards similar to those in the Medicare Accountable Care Organization program so that the government may monitor and achieve continuous improvement in the VA system more effectively. l Encourage VA Medical Centers to seek out relevant academic and private- sector input in their communities to improve the overall patient experience. Budget l Conduct an independent audit of the VA similar to the 2018 Department of Defense (DOD) audit to identify IT, management, financial, contracting, and other deficiencies. l Assess the misalignment of VHA facilities and rising infrastructure costs. The VHA operates 172 inpatient medical facilities nationally that are an average of 60 years old. Some of these facilities are underutilized and inadequately staffed. Facilities in certain urban and rural areas are seeing significant declines in the veteran population and strong competition for fresh medical staff. In 2018, Congress authorized an Asset Infrastructure Review (AIR) of national VHA medical markets to provide insight into where the VA health care budget should be responsibly allocated to serve veterans most effectively. However, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee lacked the political will to act on the White House’s nominations of commission members, and this ultimately led to termination of the AIR process. The next Administration should seek out agile, creative, and politically acceptable operational solutions to this aging infrastructure status quo,

About These Correlations

Policy matches are calculated using a hybrid approach: initial candidates are found using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text, then an AI model (Llama 3.1 70B) provides detailed alignment ratings and analysis. Ratings range from 1 (minimal alignment) to 5 (very strong alignment). This analysis does not imply direct causation or intent.

Full Policy Text

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