WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), celebrated the passage of the Protecting Regular Order (PRO) for Veterans Act in the Senate. Sen. Sullivan, along with 10 of his Senate colleagues, introduced the legislation to establish greater accountability and oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) after a stunning multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall in 2024 followed by a multi-billion-dollar surplus two months later. This budget debacle came after the VA mismanaged funds, resulting in $10 million dollars’ worth of bonuses being improperly awarded to senior management at the VA. These bonuses ranged from $40,000 to $100,000 each, significantly more than the average disability benefits a veteran receives in a year.

The PRO Vets Act institutes a three-year requirement for the VA to provide quarterly, in-person budget reports to Congress to encourage greater oversight and financial accountability, and withholds bonuses for senior VA and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) personnel if there are future financial shortfalls.

“America’s veterans, who’ve served and sacrificed greatly for our country, deserve a Department of Veterans Affairs that is held to the highest possible standard of accountability,” Sen. Sullivan said. “The shocking budget debacle last year demonstrated that this agency is not meeting that high bar that we all expect. I want to thank my Senate colleagues for joining me in passing legislation to establish basic accountability measures at the VA, like quarterly in-person budget reports to Congress and the withholding of bonuses for senior VA and OMB leaders involved in any future budget debacle. I urge my colleagues in the House to pass our PRO Vets Act for commonsense guardrails on VA leadership that will help safeguard the benefits of our courageous veterans who’ve sacrificed so much on our behalf.”

Below is a timeline of Sen. Sullivan and his colleagues’ recent work to address the lack of accountability at the VA:

• In the summer of 2024, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) announced that it was experiencing a historic budget shortfall of $15 billion and would need $3 billion immediately to ensure the delivery of veterans’ benefits.
• On July 31, 2024, Senators Sullivan and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) sent a letter to the SVAC chairman demanding an immediate hearing on the reported budget shortfall.
• On September 18, 2024, SVAC held a hearing on the funding shortfall and Sen. Sullivan introduced the PRO Vets Act.
• On September 19, 2024, Sen. Sullivan attempted to pass the PRO Vets Act as an amendment to a VA supplemental funding package, but it was blocked by Senate Democrats.
• On November 18, 2024, Sen. Sullivan and 15 of his colleagues sent a letter to the SVAC chairman demanding greater accountability and oversight of the VA.
• On February 5, 2025, Sen. Sullivan and 10 of his colleagues introduced the PRO Vets Act in the Senate.

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