CONGRESS FOR VOTERS

DemocratAmendment · S.Amdt. 663· Senate(119-SAMDT-663)

S.Amdt. 663

Rep. Blumenthal
Age: 80 years
Connecticut
Introduced
2/20/2025
Sponsored by
Richard Blumenthal
Cosponsors
None
Changes bill
119-SCONRES-7 — An original concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034.
  1. Introduced
  2. Pending Consideration

What this amendment would do

Mr. Blumenthal submitted SA 663 to make sure that the Department of Veterans Affairs keeps ending veteran suicide as its top clinical priority, without that goal being hurt by staff or funding cuts or freezes.

What it Changes or Adds

This amendment adds a deficit-neutral reserve fund to the bill.

It allows the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Budget to change allocations, aggregates, and other levels in the resolution, and adjust the pay-as-you-go ledger.

These changes can be made for legislation related to preventing veteran suicide.

Specifically, it covers legislation that ensures staff and programs related to or run by the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the Department of Veterans Affairs are not reduced below the levels they were at at the end of fiscal year 2024.

The text specifies that these reductions cannot happen because of:

  • Hiring freezes
  • Deferred resignation or buyout offers
  • Reductions in force
  • Mass terminations or layoffs
  • Funding freezes or reductions

This applies as long as the legislation does not increase the deficit over the total period of fiscal years 2025 through 2034.