It’s a busy time on the Hill.

Kicking things off, the House Veterans Affairs Committee is holding a hearing today to assess the progress of the VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) initiative. Tomorrow and Wednesday, the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees will convene their annual joint veterans service organization hearings to review legislative priorities from the nation’s largest VSOs. Additionally, on Tuesday, the House will hold a legislative hearing on various proposed bills. We extend our support to everyone who is testifying and contributing to these important discussions.

This week’s news focuses on how the Trump administration’s efforts to streamline the federal workforce and enhance efficiency may affect veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs. With many questions still unanswered, we are closely monitoring developments and approaching rumors with a grain of salt.

In this week’s Nimitz Report:

• Budget resolution test: House expected to vote this week

• VA officials bow: Employees ordered to reply to OPM email, return to in-person work

• “Oops, our bad”: Fired suicide hotline workers reinstated

💀 Doom looms: Experts are warning that a government shutdown in March is increasingly likely as members of Congress remain fixated on tax cuts and DOGE fallouts. Lawmakers only have a few weeks left to reach a solution.

WHO’S HAVING EVENTS THIS WEEK?

Monday, February 24th

• 💻 Subcommittee Hearing: "From Reset to Rollout: Can the VA EHRM Program Finally Deliver?” House Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC) Technology Modernization Subcommittee at 3 pm. Watch here.

Tuesday, February 25th

• 🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Joint VSO Hearing: “Legislative Hearing Presentation of Disabled American Veterans & Multi VSOs: AMVETS, VV, MOPH, BVA, VES, GSW, ROA,” House & Senate Veterans Affairs Committees at 10 am. Watch here.

• 📋 Full Committee Hearing: “Legislative Hearing on: H.R. 472, The Restore VA Accountability Act of 2025; H.R. 1041, Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act; Discission Draft: To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from transmitting certain information to the Department of Justice for use by the national instant criminal background check system; H.R. 740, Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025; and Discussion Draft: Student Veteran Benefit Restoration Act of 2025,” HVAC at 2 pm. Watch here.

Wednesday, February 26th

• 🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Joint VSO Hearing: “Legislative Hearing Presentation of The American Legion & Multi VSOs: MVA, JWV, NACVSO, MOAA, NASDVA, IVMF, WWP,” House & Senate Veterans Affairs Committees at 10 am. Watch here.

NEWS DRIVING THE WEEK

Congressional News

House Republicans intend to adopt a budget resolution this week and successfully move President Trump’s agenda. Trouble is on the horizon, however, as three influential moderate members of the party told reporters that they are withholding support until they receive more information about the planned spending cuts. Republicans cannot lose more than one GOP vote and adopt the resolution, placing more pressure on Speaker Mike Johnson. The House Rules Committee will consider the motion this evening, which will then advance to the House floor or return to the drawing board.

Senator Bernie Sanders has claimed that recent Democratic efforts to oppose President Trump’s sweeping policy changes are not “good enough.” He went on, saying, “I think Democrats are trying. But what Trump has capitalized on is a simple reality that is true — and that is our system is broken.” He pointed to the privileged position of the wealthy in a “corrupt political system” and how Democrats are failing to reach working-class Americans. Senator Sanders, a former presidential nominee, has hinted that he likely will not run for another term in the Senate.

Veteran News

VA leaders have instructed department employees to respond to Elon Musk’s controversial Saturday email requesting their bullet-point summary of what they accomplished last week. Over two million federal workers received this email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), asking them to respond or effectively resign. Numerous agencies, including the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have instructed staff not to reply. Officials at the VA have not commented on what will happen to workers who fail to respond.

Speaking in his first public address to a veterans organization, VA Secretary Doug Collins pledged to improve the delivery of benefits and access to health care during his time in the department. “It is not about the VA as an organization. It is about the veterans that we serve,” he said. “If we are not serving the veteran, then the VA is not in the position it should be.” These remarks were given at the midwinter conference of Disabled American Veterans (DAV) over the weekend. The Secretary is expected to meet with several other organizations as they convene in Washington, DC for the annual joint VSO hearings.

After a hasty series of events, the VA has reinstated some fired healthcare workers amid fears from new hires that they could be next. At least two workers out of a dozen fired from the Veterans Crisis Line, the department’s suicide prevention hotline, were reinstated after lawmakers intervened. It is unclear how the mass firings across the federal government will continue impacting veterans. Last year, veterans made up 28% of the federal workforce. Multiple news outlets and veterans’ organizations are calling for protections and exemptions for veteran federal employees, similar to those implemented by the Department of the Interior.

The VA is rescinding telework and remote work agreements for a majority of its workforce, according to a recent memo from the VA’s Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer. The document also directs supervisors to find office space to accommodate more employees. Currently, more than 20% of the VA’s 497,000 employees have telework or remote agreements. “VA will make accommodations as needed to ensure employees have enough space to work and will always ensure that veterans’ access to benefits and services remains uninterrupted as employees return to in-person work,” a spokesperson said.

National News

President Donald Trump is backing advisor Elon Musk’s efforts to hold federal employees accountable for their work. During a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump stated, “What he’s doing is saying, ‘Are you actually working?’ And then, if you don’t answer, like, you’re sort of semi-fired or you’re fired, because a lot of people aren’t answering because they don’t even exist.” When asked about some of his Senate-confirmed nominees contradicting Musk’s directive, Trump replied, “They don’t mean that in any way combatively with Elon. Everyone thought it was a pretty ingenious idea.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

FOR FUN

The Oscars are coming up this Sunday, and our CEO Justin Brown has been making his way through the nominees for best picture. Danielle has only seen one of them, but she highly recommends it. 🧙🏾‍♀️🪄

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