Welcome back from recess, everyone! The Nimitz team is thrilled to introduce the newest version of the Nimitz Report and our exciting expansion into technology policy: Nimitz Tech.

Nimitz Tech launches this week with its own weekly report and timely News Flashes, focusing on technology, AI, and everything in between. Click here to subscribe, or see below.

The House and Senate return from summer break to tackle the budget, discuss unresolved legislative items, and (of course) posture for the November elections. The House Veterans Affairs Committee will hold three hearings this week covering VA accountability, mental health programs, and draft legislation. No hearings are currently scheduled for the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

In this week’s Nimitz Report:

• VA budget shortfall: House Republicans push $3B supplemental bill

• “Digital divide”: Bridging the gap for VA healthcare

• Homeless veterans: Judge orders more housing units in Los Angeles

⏰ Watch the clock: Congress continues its consideration of crucial funding bills and potential stopgap measures this week as the budget clock ticks down to the end-of-the-month deadline.

EVENTS THIS WEEK

Tuesday, September 10

• 🤔 Full Committee Hearing: “Accountable or Absent?: Examining VA Leadership Under the Biden-Harris Administration,” House Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC) at 10:15 am. Watch here.

• 🔎 Subcommittee Hearing: “Mission Transition: Evaluating Mental Health Support Programs for Separating Servicemembers,” HVAC Economic Opportunity Subcommittee at 3 pm. Watch here.

• 🗣️ 2024 Presidential Debate: Trump vs. Harris at 9 pm. More information here.

Wednesday, September 11

• 📝 Subcommittee Hearing: Reviewing Draft Legislation, HVAC Health Subcommittee at 10 am. Watch here.

• 🎬 HillVets Foundation & Boulder Crest Foundation Joint Event: World Premiere of Transformed by Trauma at 6 pm. More information here.

NEWS DRIVING THE WEEK

Congressional News

House Republicans are pulling together this week to address the VA’s multi-billion-dollar funding gap — the largest in the department’s history. The House Appropriations and House Veterans Affairs Committees introduced a bill last Friday to provide $3 billion in supplemental funding to the VA, ensuring that veterans receive the benefits they earned through the end of the fiscal year. The emergency funding bill does not, however, address the $12 billion shortfall the VA anticipates for fiscal year 2025. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole referred to the shortfall as a “glaring failure” that “reflects a grave departure from [the VA’s] budget submission provided mere months ago.”

Lawmakers have until September 30 to avoid a government shutdown, and members of Congress are reportedly gearing up for a messy fight. Key issues like voting requirements and spending are expected to drive debates in the coming weeks as the House and Senate collide on funding measures. On Friday, House Republicans unveiled a stopgap plan emphasizing proof-of-citizenship requirements to register to vote. Republican insiders have signaled that they have varying levels of enthusiasm surrounding the bill’s chances of success.

Veteran News

Last Friday, a judge ruled that the VA must build more than 2,500 housing units to support homeless veterans in Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter claimed that this ruling should have been expected, as “each administration since 2011 has been warned — by the VA’s own Office of the Inspector General, federal courts, and veterans — that they were not doing enough to house veterans in Los Angeles.” Carter ordered 750 temporary housing units within 12 to 18 months, giving the VA another six months to plan 1,800 permanent housing units. The judge also ruled that many leases on portions of the VA’s property are illegal because they do not directly benefit veterans.

According to a former commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, today’s veterans are facing a “digital divide” that hinders their ability to receive quality healthcare. While technological advancements like the cloud have been implemented in various healthcare systems, the VA continues to employ a decades-old electronic health records (EHR) system at most of the department’s facilities. This system struggles to communicate with private community care providers, as well as between VA medical facilities, causing veterans to be “digitally walled off” in their care. Michael O’Rielly and several other experts are urging the VA to continue the deployment of MHS Genesis and ensure that the digital divide closes for all American veterans.

While the unemployment rate for the general U.S. population dipped to 4.2 percent in August, the number of unemployed veterans rose to 3.5 percent. In the same month, female veterans saw their unemployment rate spike to 7 percent. Analysts mentioned a few unique factors impacting women veterans’ employment, including insufficient transition programs and pay inequality. These patterns remain concerning as interest rates are expected to change in the near future. For more information, click here.

National News

Tomorrow night, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will take the stage in Philadelphia to debate policy ahead of the November presidential election. The 90-minute event will begin at 9 pm ET and will be streamed on ABC News Live, Disney+, and Hulu. The candidates will have their mics muted when they are not speaking, and there will be no audience in attendance. Harris and Trump will also not be permitted to question each other directly or bring pre-written notes or props onto the debate stage. This should be a fun one; we hope you tune in.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

FOR FUN

The NFL is back, and (some of) the Nimitz team is psyched. Though our knowledge of football varies, we have each made picks for the Super Bowl in February. Check them out below:

• Justin (CEO): Kansas City Chiefs

• Danielle (Junior Partner): Detroit Lions

• Essam (Junior Partner): Philadelphia Eagles

• Nora (Director of Research): Baltimore Ravens

• Nicole (Social Media & Communications Coordinator): Washington Commanders

• Rita (Operations Coordinator): San Francisco 49ers

• Clare (Intern): Kansas City Chiefs

• Dallas (Director of Programs, HillVets): Kansas City Chiefs

For extra fun: if you see Danielle on the Hill the week after a Lions victory, make sure to take a look at her shoes. 🦁 She is eager to show them off.

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As previously mentioned, we are excited to announce our team’s newest publication. Check it out below: