Mike Bost

Rep. Mike Bost, an Illinois Republican and the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, said he's worried about veterans impacted by the government shutdown.

He said the disruptions to Department of Veterans Affairs care and benefits have been minimal so far, but he said the risks increase the longer the shutdown continues.

“But now, we're beginning to worry big-time,” Bost said.

The shutdown, now in its second month and entering record territory, has left 37,000 VA employees furloughed or working without pay.

VA health care is still available.

Veterans can still get care at VA’s 170 medical centers and roughly 1,200 outpatient sites.

The Veterans Health Administration, a part of the larger VA, is funded with advance appropriations. VA health care services are already funded through the current fiscal year, which just began Oct. 1.

And benefits considered to be mandatory spending are still going out to veterans, on autopilot, much like Social Security.

But Bost said contracted or grant-based community programs have been idled amid the shutdown.

One example is the Fox grant program for suicide prevention efforts.

“Community-based organizations won't get their funding they need to deliver mental health support to veterans and continue to work to decrease veteran suicide, which is still at 17 per day, as of our last numbers,” Bost said.

Same goes for some community providers that offer life-saving services and support to homeless veterans, he said.

And disabled veterans can't enroll in education and job training programs, Bost said.

“All veterans with service-connected disabilities are left in limbo also, because they can't get nursing home care, or home care,” Bost said. “All this is really just despicable. Really is.”

Bost said he’s been working with VA Secretary Doug Collins and his fellow members of Congress to ensure veterans’ services face as little disruption as possible during the shutdown.

But he said there will be challenges, stress and strain on both veterans and VA employees until the shutdown ends.

“As soon as we actually open the government, all this goes away,” Bost said. “And the sweat ... and the mental strain that is being put on these families goes away, as well, because now they know those services are available to them."

Bost blamed Democrats for the shutdown, urging them to drop their demands and pass the so-called clean continuing resolution to temporarily reopen the government at current funding levels.

Democrats are withholding their support of the CR, demanding the reversal of Medicaid changes that were part of the GOP “One Big Beautiful Bill” and an extension of the Affordable Care Act enhanced tax credits.

“I don't necessarily disagree with many of the arguments that they say they want to talk about, but the thing is, you can't talk about it unless we're back in,” Bost said.

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House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano, a Democrat, said via an emailed statement that the multi-year funding provided to VA ensures the shutdown should have a minimal impact on veterans’ health care and benefits.

And Takano decried the “politicization of shutdown messaging and intentional delay of certain services.”

He said, for example, VA is “failing to process and disburse” education and housing benefits provided to veterans, including those with service-connected disabilities.

“But veterans are also feeling the same shutdown impacts that everyday Americans are,” Takano said.

Both he and Bost noted that over 1 million veterans get Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits.

Takano said millions of veterans rely on Medicaid and Medicare, too.

“Republicans are using veterans as bargaining chips in their game of partisan politics—Americans deserve better,” Takano said. “The House hasn’t met in six weeks. Speaker Johnson needs to step up.”

Bost, however, pointed the finger at Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.

“Every day that we move forward, it might be better for Chuck Schumer, but it's sure not better for our veterans,” Bost said.

Veterans make up about a quarter of the federal government's civilian workforce. Many of them are feeling the impact of the shutdown directly.

Bost was asked if he had a message for them.

“Yeah, the message is this. If you are represented by a Democrat senator ... reach out to your senator, tell them that this is ridiculous, let's pass the clean CR, let's get back to work,” he said.

Last week, officials with veterans’ advocacy groups told The National News Desk that they’re hearing concerns and confusion from veterans about the shutdown.

“We've done some polling, and we've done some talking to a number of veterans, and far and wide, of course, just like every other American, they're very upset,” Mission Roll Call CEO Jim Whaley said. “They're very concerned about it.”

Nearly 60% of people responding to a Mission Roll Call survey said they were a veteran or military family being impacted by the shutdown.

Bost also said he’s concerned about troops currently serving – the future veterans.

He said he remembers being a private in the Marines responsible for taking care of his young family.

He said they lived from payday to payday.

And now he’s worried the young troops currently serving won’t have the financial ability to withstand disruptions in their pay.

Even though military recruiting has seen a stark turnaround from the struggles of the past few years, Bost is worried the shutdown could leave a bad taste in the mouths of current and prospective troops.

“If you go out to serve the nation, and the nation kicks you in the teeth, yeah, that's kind of hard to tell somebody else it's a great thing to do,” he said.

Bost said he’s also worried about newer VA employees who might not have a financial cushion to deal with being furloughed.

And he’s concerned that VA maintenance workers with expertise might look to jump ship if they have to go too long without pay.

“Each of our medical facilities are an operation in themselves,” Bost said. “Whether it's air-conditioning, whether it's heating, whether it's the oxygen system that rolls through the operating rooms, all of those are all manned by these technicians that are VA employees that can be hired on the outside and might possibly make more money. And if we lose them, it's going to be hard to get them back.”

Despite the partisan stalemate over the shutdown, Bost said his colleagues on both sides of the aisle want to take care of veterans.

He called it an “obligation and a commitment.”

“It is a debt that we owe, regardless of party, regardless of how you feel about your government at any given time,” Bost said.