The U.S. House of Representatives, in a rare show of bipartisanship, voted to revive an office that advocates for the survivors of U.S. military veterans.
The House voted 424-0 to pass H.R. 1228, the “Prioritizing Veterans’ Survivors Act,” a strong bipartisan bill to restore the Office of Survivors Assistance (OSA) to its original mission under the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
The measure ensures that the office is once again the chief advocate for policies that affect military families and survivors of those lost in military service.
The legislation’s passage is expected to undo a 2021 effort that marginalized the advocacy of veterans’ survivors.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), amends Title 38, United States Code, “to clarify the organization of the Office of Survivors Assistance of the Department of Veterans Affairs,” according to GovTrack. The measure now heads to the Senate for consideration.
VA Secretary Doug Collins, a former GOP lawmaker from Georgia, recently addressed “rumors” about reports that there would be stiff cuts to VA benefits and veterans’ care under Trump.
Among the claims he disputed was that VA health care would deteriorate.
Collins categorically rejected this assertion, stating that the department has fortified its health care and benefits by preserving 300,000 mission-critical positions to guarantee uninterrupted services.
He also countered another rumor suggesting that Veterans’ benefits were being cut.
“They’re not,” he said, explaining that VA had redirected nearly $98 million toward Veterans’ care and services rather than reducing them.
Collins, a colonel and a chaplain in the Air Force Reserve, addressed the rumor that the VA was laying off Veterans Crisis Line responders.
“We did not lay off any Veterans Crisis Line responders,” he noted, while assuring that those answering crisis calls remain in place to support veterans in need.
Collins then encouraged veterans to obtain information directly from the VA rather than depending on the misinformation that circulates in political discussions.
This development comes as President Donald Trump is preparing to take a prominent role in the final stretch of the 2026 midterm campaign as Republicans fight to maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
James Blair, Trump’s political director and one of the president’s top midterm strategists, outlined the GOP’s closing strategy.
During an interview with Breitbart News, Blair said the effort will combine national messaging, aggressive turnout operations and substantial campaign spending in competitive House and Senate races.
Blair described the strategy as “twofold,” arguing that congressional elections are shaped by both national political conditions and the strengths and weaknesses of individual candidates.
“Elections are not all national and they’re not all local,” Blair said. “It’s a little bit of both.”
At the national level, Republicans intend to link Democratic candidates to positions taken by the broader Democratic Party, while GOP candidates will be encouraged to draw direct contrasts with their individual opponents.
Blair argued that Republicans should prevent Democrats running in competitive states and districts from separating themselves politically from their national party.
A major component of the strategy will involve Trump himself.
Blair said the president will become “extremely active” during the final six weeks of the campaign, with appearances and political activity increasingly coordinated with the beginning of early and mail voting around the country.
Republicans also plan to encourage supporters to vote before Election Day rather than relying exclusively on the traditional Nov. 3 turnout operation.
“Vote now by mail if you want to. Vote in person early if that’s your preference. Don’t wait till Election Day,” Blair said.
That effort is particularly focused on what Blair called “low- and mid-propensity” Republican voters — people who supported Trump in presidential elections but are historically less consistent participants in midterms.
Trump’s political operation believes the president is particularly effective at reaching those voters and is building its turnout effort around that assumption.
Republicans, however, enter the final weeks with a significant financial advantage at the House campaign-committee level.
The National Republican Congressional Committee raised $13.5 million in August and held approximately a $13 million cash advantage over its Democratic counterpart, according to Axios, which described it as the NRCC’s largest advantage at this stage of a midterm cycle.
Trump has also promised to unleash considerably more money.
Earlier this month, the president said his MAGA Inc. super PAC could spend between $400 million and $500 million helping Republican candidates during the midterms.
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