The swamp just lost, and America’s veterans won.
The House Veterans Affairs Committee did something rare in Washington: it put veterans ahead of bureaucrats, Beltway lobbyists, and the old boys’ club benefitting from broken systems. The CHOICE for Veterans Act (H.R. 3132) passed out of committee with momentum, while the overstepping, anti-choice GUARD Act was rightly tossed in the trash where it belongs.
What does the CHOICE Act actually do? It restores what every veteran deserves: freedom. It allows veterans the right to choose who provides them with claims assistance.
No longer would they be forced into relying solely on VA-approved gatekeepers. It puts the power back in the hands of the individual veteran, not some unaccountable institution hiding behind acronyms and process.
Let’s be clear: the so-called “GUARD Act” was never about guarding veterans. It was about guarding the power of the bureaucratic class, keeping money and power in the hands of a handful of attorneys and buoying dying Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) like the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
This bill would’ve placed a boot on the neck of countless private advocates, nonprofit service officers, and grassroots veteran groups, cutting off lifelines that many former service members rely on.
CHOICE flips that script. It aligns with state-level SAVE Acts that have passed in red states like Florida and Tennessee — reforms that let veterans pick the best, most effective path to getting their earned benefits while ensuring that any scammy companies are held accountable.
These bills treat veterans not like helpless dependents, but like the capable, free citizens they fought to remain.
The opposition to this bill is telling. It comes from the same voices who want to keep veterans trapped in a broken system while giving lip service about “protecting” veterans from companies who can help them get their VA disability claims done right the first time.
They claim they want “oversight” and “standardization.” What they really want is control. They want to shrink the field so only government-approved players can help veterans — while leaving countless real-world success stories in the dust.
The CHOICE Act was championed by real leaders — combat veterans like Gen. Jack Bergman and Derrick Van Orden, constitutional conservatives like Reps. Keith Self and Mike Bost. These men know firsthand the cost of service. And they know Washington’s one-size-fits-all solutions aren’t just ineffective, they’re offensive.
America made a promise to its service members. That promise doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. It means access, dignity, and above all, agency. The CHOICE Act delivers on that promise.
Now it’s time for the full House to act. Veterans don’t need more task forces or paper pushers. They need results.
Congress should pass the CHOICE for Veterans Act without delay — and remind America’s heroes that their fight wasn’t for nothing.
