The Department of Veterans Affairs would not be able to send names of veterans who have had financial managers appointed for them to the FBI‘s gun background check database under any circumstances under annual spending legislation approved by the House on Wednesday.
A provision passed in the fiscal 2024 VA spending bill already restricts the department’s ability to send names to the database unless a judge issues an order that a veteran is a danger to themselves or others, and that same language was included in the initial version of the fiscal 2025 spending bill that was released by the House Appropriations Committee last month.
But an amendment passed during House floor debate on the spending bill this week would take away the ability to submit names even in the event of a judge’s order.
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The amendment was approved 211-193 on Tuesday afternoon. The full VA spending bill, which also includes funding for military construction, was approved Wednesday morning with a 209-197 vote. Both votes were largely along party lines.
The bill must still be negotiated with the Senate, which could add back in the stipulation for a judge’s order.
But the amendment marks another effort by House Republicans to relitigate fights from the last spending bill. Republicans also revived an amendment to block the VA from updating its motto to…
