Hegseth boosts veteran benefits bill that key Republicans have opposed 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a rare boost last week to a bipartisan bill that key Republicans, including the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), have opposed over cost concerns. 

The legislation, named after a U.S. Army combat engineer, diagnosed with cancer due to toxic burn pit exposure, would provide about 54,000 combat-injured service members, who are medically retired, retirement pay and Veterans Affairs (VA) disability concurrently. 

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who has championed the bill in the upper chamber, brought up the legislation during a SASC hearing last week on the Pentagon’s $1.5 trillion budget request for fiscal year 2027.

“Well, what I would like is your commitment that you will support the Major Richard Star Act,” Blumenthal said. 

“As I have said in the past to other organizations, we support the Richard Star Act,” Hegseth said in response. 

While veterans’ groups have pushed for the bill, which was first introduced in 2023, its potential passage was blocked by Republican senators last year and again earlier this year over cost concerns. 

In October, Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said that, like Blumenthal, he respects and supports veterans. 

“However, my colleague is asking for an entitlement that does amount to a double benefit and that we cannot afford,” Wicker said on the Senate floor. “We’re talking between $9 billion and $10 billion on the Department of Defense Authorization Act and we’re talking about adding a bill, a piece of legislation that really belongs in another jurisdiction, as my friend acknowledged.” 

Similarly, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) blocked the legislation from unanimous consent passage and a motion to give the measure a floor vote in March, saying the bill would run the government more than $70 billion over the first decade. 

The Pentagon is asking for $1.5 trillion in spending for next year, a request that has received broad support from the GOP. 

The Richard Star Act already has the backing of nearly 80 senators and more than 320 House members. Veterans groups were hopeful that Hegseth’s endorsement could provide the momentum to get it across the finish line. 

“I think Secretary Hegseth’s support could help build some momentum and additional public........

© The Hill