The record

LegislationLegislation· Jan 2026
HR 1823 Signed into law

Sponsored by Jack Bergman (R)

VA Budget Shortfall Accountability Act

Requires federal audits of VA funding shortfalls in 2024 and 2025, then annual reviews for five years.

Tradeoff

Orders the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate why the Veterans Benefits Administration and Veterans Health Administration ran short of money. The VA must share these findings with Congress.

What's in it

See official bill text

Costs less than $500,000 over 2025-2029 for GAO reporting requirements.

The $500,000 is purely the federal administrative cost for the GAO to conduct investigations and write reports—the bill itself creates no direct spending on VA programs or benefits, only a requirement that the GAO document and explain VA's budget shortfalls to Congress.

H.R. 1823, VA Budget Shortfall Accountability Act · May 2025

Passed the House by on May 19, 2025. Passed the Senate by on December 18, 2025, and was signed into law on January 20, 2026.

  1. House

    Introduced

    (Mar 4, 2025)

  2. House

    Committee on Veterans' Affairs(Mar 4, 2025)

  3. House

    The Committee on Veterans' Affairs voted to send it to the floor

    Reported(May 17, 2025)

    Committee report H. Rept. 119-101.

  4. House

    Passage of the bill

    Passed by (May 19, 2025)

    No individual votes were recorded.

  5. Senate

    Received from the House

    on Veterans' Affairs(May 20, 2025)

  6. Senate

    Passage of the bill

    Passed by (Dec 18, 2025)

    No individual votes were recorded.

  7. Senate

    Taken away from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

    Discharged(Dec 18, 2025)

  8. House

    Sent to the President

    (Jan 12, 2026)

  9. White House · Signature

    Signed

    Donald Trump (R)

  10. Enacted

    Became law(Jan 20, 2026)