{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://flood.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-flood-spearheads-va-transparency-bill-part-broader-va", "Congressman Flood Spearheads VA Transparency Bill As Part of Broader VA Reauthorization Push", "2025-12-16", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "House", "NE", "Mike Flood", "F000474", "flood.house.gov", "flood", "https://flood.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Image\n\nDecember 16, 2025\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Congressman Mike Flood introduced H.R.6740, the \u201cVA TRUST Act.\u201d The bill enhances transparency and accountability of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Senior Executive Service (SES) employees by requiring the VA to disclose to Congress the accounts from which awards and bonuses are paid to SES employees as well as their annual salaries\u2013 promoting greater oversight and fiscal responsibility within the Department to ensure appropriated funds are not being used outside of the context that Congress intended.\n\n\u201cThe VA TRUST Act is a needed step in ensuring the VA remains focused on its core mission of serving our nation\u2019s veterans,\u201d said Congressman Flood. \u201cBuilding on my efforts last Congress to bring more transparency and common sense to the pay and bonuses of the VA\u2019s Senior Executive Service employees, the VA TRUST Act will help the Department better prioritize its mission to effectively serve veterans. I\u2019m hopeful to see these reforms advance through the House Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs as part of its broader effort to reauthorize several key programs within the VA for the first time in decades.\"\n\nAdditionally, the \"VA TRUST Act\" promotes greater efficiency in line with the VA's commitment to serving our veterans first. It does so by allowing the VA to have broader authority in adjusting the basic rate of pay salaries of SES employees who relocate within the Department or transfer from another federal agency. Due to a lack of clarity in federal statute, some SES employees may continue receiving pay based on their previously held position or locality of employment\u2014such as Chicago\u2014even after relocating to a lower cost-of-living area like Lincoln. The VA TRUST Act clarifies the jurisdiction of the VA to authorize these changes in salary for these types of employees, within the existing framework allowed by current federal law.\n\nIn a 2024 report by the VA\u2019s Office of Inspector General, it was revealed that funds allocated by Congress (totaling $10.8 million) for recruitment and retention of VA employees that assist in processing veterans\u2019 benefits claims, were instead used to award bonuses to SES employees within the VA. These bonuses averaged $55,000 per recipient, with multiple bonuses exceeding $100,000.\n\nIn response to this finding, Congressman Flood introduced H.R.10319, the BONUS Transparency Act, during the 118th Congress, a portion of which is now included within the VA TRUST Act.\n\nFull text of the VA TRUST Act can be found here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://flood.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-flood-spearheads-va-transparency-bill-part-broader-va"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.969194108620286, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}