Vulnerable Dem Sen Took Credit For Trump-Signed Vets Law. The Bill’s Sponsor Says He Played No Role.
Adam Pack
Daily Caller
September 6, 2025
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Ossoff, the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent seeking reelection in 2026, has taken credit for H.R. 1815, a law providing veterans with federal assistance for housing in recent weeks, including hosting a celebratory press conference in August with Georgia veterans. Republican Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden, the legislation’s sole sponsor, has excoriated Ossoff for claiming to champion a bill he played no role in passing and accused the Georgia Democrat of using veterans as “political props” in pursuit of his reelection bid.
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Ossoff did not cosponsor the legislation nor speak in support of the bill when it was considered on the Senate floor in July, according to a DCNF review of the legislation’s passage through Congress.
The Georgia Democrat also did not formally vote on the legislation — which did not receive a Senate floor vote. The bill instead passed in the upper chamber by a unanimous consent request, a procedure usually reserved for noncontroversial bills. Senate Majority Leader John Thune asked for consent to pass the legislation on the floor on July 15 and no senators objected.
A spokesperson for Ossoff did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s multiple requests for comment inquiring about how the Georgia Democrat “helped pass” the legislation.
H.R. 1815, also known as the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act, was drafted by Van Orden, originated in the House of Representatives and had no cosponsors.
…[T]he legislation was discharged from the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs by unanimous consent in July. Ossoff does not sit on the panel and did not offer any amendments on the bill before its passage.
…Ossoff did not cosponsor the Senate version.
Still, Ossoff put out a series of press releases touting his work helping provide Georgia veterans with federal assistance for housing.
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“@SenOssoff had absolutely nothing to do with this bill, and I mean nothing,” Van Orden, who served in the U.S. Navy for 26 years with five combat deployments, wrote on the social media platform X on Friday. “He did not even VOTE for it, it passed by UC [unanimous consent].”
“This disgusting and shameful behavior must stop,” Van Orden added. “Veterans are not political props.”
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chairman Tim Scott and three Republican candidates vying to take on Ossoff in the midterms contest slammed the Georgia Democrat for claiming responsibility for the bill. Republicans view Ossoff’s seat as a top flip opportunity in 2026, but have yet to unite around a GOP challenger.
“He had nothing to do with this Republican effort to assist Veterans,” Scott wrote on X. “But now in his political desperation, he’s trying to take credit.”
“Georgia deserves so much better,” Scott added.
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