{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://hageman.house.gov/media/press-releases/pettersen-van-hollen-boozman-hageman-williams-kim-introduce-bipartisan", "Pettersen, Van Hollen, Boozman, Hageman, Williams, Kim Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Homebuying Process for Veterans", "2025-06-03", "2025", "2025-06", "Republican", "House", "WY", "Harriet M. Hageman", "H001096", "hageman.house.gov", "hageman", "https://hageman.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) \u2013 alongside Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and John Boozman (R-AR) and Representatives Harriet Hageman (WY-AL), Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Young Kim (CA-40) \u2013 introduced the Veterans Affairs Loan Informed Disclosure Act of 2025 (VALID Act). Despite potentially offering thousands of dollars in savings over the life of a loan, VA loans are underused \u2013 with only 10% to 15% of eligible veterans using the benefit, and some states as low as 6%. The bill introduced today provides a simple fix, ensuring veterans see VA loan options clearly laid out alongside conventional and FHA loans when applying for an FHA mortgage \u2013 making it easier to choose the best option for their needs.\n\nSpecifically, this bipartisan legislation would update Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage disclosures to include VA Home Loans alongside FHA and conventional loan options. The bill would also ensure lenders are provided with important information regarding an applicant\u2019s military service so they can provide information about VA loans early in the homebuying process.\n\n\u201cOur veterans put everything on the line to defend us, but far too often come home without the support they need,\u201d said Pettersen. \u201cNo veteran should miss out on a benefit they\u2019ve earned simply because they didn\u2019t know it was an option. At a time when finding an affordable home is harder than ever, ensuring veterans have clear access to every funding resource available is critical. This legislation helps make homeownership possible and builds long-term stability for the brave men and women who\u2019ve served our country.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe enjoy freedom in America due to the incredible sacrifices of our servicemen and women,\u201d said Hageman. \u201cGuaranteeing that our veterans receive the care and benefits they deserve is the least we can do. The VALID Act provides for this assurance by ensuring our veterans are informed of the advantageous home loan programs available to them as they chart their future.\"\n\n\u201cOur veterans have earned every benefit available to them \u2014 including the opportunity for affordable homeownership,\u201d said Williams. \u201cUnfortunately, too many miss out on VA loan options because they are unaware of them. I\u2019m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the VALID Act that will ensure veterans can make fully informed decisions during the homebuying process. This legislation honors those who served and helps secure a better future for them and their families.\u201d\n\n\u201cVeterans put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms and, at the very least, deserve to know the benefits available to them. Anything less is unacceptable,\u201d said Kim. \u201cThe VALID Act fully discloses the VA loan options available for veterans to use when buying a home. I\u2019m proud to help lead this commonsense, bipartisan bill that ensures we have the backs of our brave men and women who had ours against global threats.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhile we can never fully repay the debt we owe to our veterans, we have a duty to support them when they return home,\u201d said Van Hollen. \u201cThe VA Home Loan has been helping servicemembers buy homes for over 80 years, but this funding resource remains severely underutilized by far too many of our veterans. This bipartisan legislation will help change that, ensuring more veterans and their families take advantage of the benefits they have earned.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe should make certain veterans are aware they qualify for help with purchasing a home or realizing more savings over the life of a mortgage,\u201d said Boozman. \u201cSince we know VA home loans are underutilized, there is a clear need to better identify this assistance earlier in the process. I am proud to join my colleagues in enhancing this earned benefit for our former servicemembers.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy does it make any sense, at all, to disallow a veteran, like my husband, from reviewing, in a side-by-side view, of the actual written financial differences between the VA Home Loan when compared to a FHA Home Loan or a Conventional Home Loan? Updating the \u2018informed consumer choice disclosure notice\u2019 will close that loop,\u201d said Lynn Jabs, Tacoma VAREP Chapter board member and National Legislative Chair at VAREP.\n\n\u201cVAREP wholeheartedly endorses the VA Loan Information Disclosure Act of 2025. This legislation will help correct an injustice of non-disclosure of all viable mortgage loan options to all home loan applicants who are eligible to take advantage of their earned VA Home Loan Guarantee Benefits,\u201d said VAREP in a statement. \u201cVAREP applauds Rep. Pettersen for taking action to require the original lender to include a third financial comparator, to the current disclosure law that requires only disclosure of the difference between an FHA and a Conventional loan. Adding the third comparison of the VA Home Loan to the FHA Home Loan and the Conventional Home Loan is an essential missing loan disclosure element.\u201d\n\nResearch has shown that 1 in 10 veterans have experienced homelessness, often years after completing service and returning home. At the same time, rising housing costs are making homeownership increasingly out of reach. Programs like the VA Home Loan are more important than ever, offering a path to homeownership that can save veterans thousands of dollars and help them build lasting financial security.\n\nThe legislation is endorsed by the Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals (VAREP), the Broker Action Coalition, and the National Association of REALTORS\u00ae.\n\nFull text of the bill is available HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T01:08:28Z"]], "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://hageman.house.gov/media/press-releases/pettersen-van-hollen-boozman-hageman-williams-kim-introduce-bipartisan"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 3.381866030395031, "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"}