Putting Veterans First Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Senator Richard Blumenthal
Introduced
Summary
Reinstating and protecting veterans and military‑family federal employees. This bill would undo removals, demotions, and suspensions of veterans, military spouses, caregivers, survivors, and reserve members that occurred between January 20, 2025 and enactment, restore back pay and benefits, and tighten rules on VA personnel actions, contracts, and public reporting.
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- Affected federal workers and families: Eligible employees would be restored or receive back pay and benefits, get up to 90 days of reimbursed mental health care, and may resign after restoration without forfeiting pay.
- VA patients and staff: The VA would face limits on hiring freezes, office closures, and reductions in force, must justify major personnel actions and provide a 180-day window before RIFs, and must publish weekly workload and community-care wait-time data.
- Contractors and veteran-owned small businesses: Contracts canceled in mass-cancellation efforts since January 20, 2025 would be reinstated, mass cancellations are paused pending reviews, and future proposed cancellations must identify Service‑Disabled Veteran‑Owned and Veteran‑Owned small businesses and wait 30 days before proceeding.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
7 provisions identified: 7 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Limits on VA layoffs and staffing changes
If enacted, VA would have to give long advance notice and analysis before cuts. The Secretary must submit a detailed justification at least 180 days before any reduction in force and show it will not reduce veteran care or raise costs. VA could not use hiring freezes unless the Secretary shows no increased costs and waits 90 days after a required report. The VA must give one year notice before closing or realigning offices and try to find other jobs inside VA for displaced staff. VA could not change telework rules until one year after notice to Congress, unions, and affected employees. Final VA job offers could not be rescinded except for reasons tied to the individual's action or quality, and wrongful rescissions could be appealed.
Restore pay and care for affected veterans
If enacted, removals, demotions, or suspensions of covered civil-service veterans, military spouses, caregivers, survivors, and reservists that happened between January 20, 2025 and enactment would be treated as void. Affected people would be eligible for back pay and restored benefits retroactive to the action date. You could still resign after enactment and keep the back pay and benefits. Agencies would reimburse mental health care costs for the 90-day period after an action taken on or after January 20, 2025. The President would be directed to order employment help for affected veterans and related groups. VA cancellations or postponements of research during the same period would be nullified.
More VA wait-time and claims transparency
If enacted, each VA medical center would publish community-care scheduling wait times within 90 days and update them at least weekly. The Under Secretary for Benefits would post a weekly "Monday Morning Workload Report" showing pending and backlogged compensation, pension, appeals, and education work, with station-level data and stage times. Public metrics would also show quarterly appeals outcomes broken out by review type, origin station, appeal type, and diagnostic code. These reports are meant to help veterans see likely wait times and claims processing status.
Protect jobs and expand hiring for veterans
If enacted, agencies could not move a job from the competitive service to the excepted service unless the current employee agrees or the job is vacant. Such a change could not take effect until two years after the employee gets notice and Congress is told. The Office of Personnel Management and Department of Labor would also work with other agencies and private firms to expand hiring, training, and retention programs for veterans, military spouses, caregivers, survivors, and reservists, and would explore hiring preferences in contracts.
Pause and review VA contract cancellations
If enacted, VA must reinstate contracts cancelled as part of a mass contract cancellation that happened between January 20, 2025 and enactment. VA must pause any mass cancellations in progress and cannot start new ones until it reviews cancelled or proposed contracts from January 20–April 30, 2025 and submits detailed reports and certifications to Congress. The Secretary must wait 30 days after committees receive those reports before proceeding. VA must also give a 7-business-day report about contracts announced for cancellation on February 25 and March 3, 2025, and an Inspector General review is required within one year.
Tighten VA IT access and reviews
If enacted, VA would only let its officers, employees, or contractors control VA computer systems. Other people could get admin access only if they have an appropriate security clearance, are not a special Government employee, have at least one year of continuous civil service, complete required training, and sign a written ethics agreement. VA must cut off any IT connection with noncompliant entities within 15 days and send a compliance report in 30 days. The Inspector General must review unauthorized access between November 6, 2024 and enactment and report with a briefing within 90 days and a final report within 180 days.
Stronger ethics and vacancy rules for officials
If enacted, the bill would bar the VA Secretary from also leading another Executive agency while serving. It would bar the Special Counsel and the Office of Government Ethics Director from holding any other federal office while serving and set clear interim succession rules if they cannot serve. The President would be required to fill any Merit Systems Protection Board vacancy within 30 days. The VA Secretary would have to give Congress 60 days' notice before changing the charge card program; that notice rule would end when President Trump is no longer President.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Richard Blumenthal
CT • D
Cosponsors
Jeff Merkley
OR • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Amy Klobuchar
MN • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Alex Padilla
CA • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Mazie Hirono
HI • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Mark Kelly
AZ • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Cory Booker
NJ • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Martin Heinrich
NM • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Sheldon Whitehouse
RI • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
John Hickenlooper
CO • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Ron Wyden
OR • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Chris Van Hollen
MD • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Bernie Sanders
VT • I
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Tammy Duckworth
IL • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Kirsten Gillibrand
NY • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Ruben Gallego
AZ • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Timothy Kaine
VA • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Jacky Rosen
NV • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Catherine Cortez Masto
NV • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Adam Schiff
CA • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 3/13/2025
Jeanne Shaheen
NH • D
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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