Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threw his support behind a bipartisan veterans bill last week, breaking with key Republicans who have blocked the legislation over its price tag. The Major Richard Star Act, named for an Army combat engineer who developed cancer from burn pit exposure, would allow roughly 54,000 medically retired service members to receive both retirement pay and Veterans Affairs disability benefits at the same time.
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Pentagon’s $1.5 trillion budget request, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) pressed Hegseth on the measure. “What I would like is your commitment that you will support the Major Richard Star Act,” Blumenthal said. Hegseth replied, “As I have said in the past to other organizations, we support the Richard Star Act.”
The endorsement comes after years of Republican resistance. Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) has called the bill an unaffordable “double benefit,” arguing it would cost $9 billion to $10 billion over the next authorization cycle. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) blocked the legislation from a floor vote in March, warning it could add more than $70 billion to the deficit over a decade. “We’re $39 trillion in debt,” Johnson said. “We have to look at the dollars and cents.”
Veterans groups see Hegseth’s support as a potential game-changer. Kristina Keenan of the Veterans of Foreign Wars said the secretary’s backing “could help build some momentum and additional public support.” Jess Finucan of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America echoed that hope, telling The Hill: “I do hope that it kind of pushes people to be more proactive in pushing it through.”
The policy gap is significant. Veterans who serve 20 years and have a disability rating above 50% already receive full concurrent pay. But those forced to retire early due to combat injuries see their Pentagon retirement pay offset dollar-for-dollar by VA disability payments—a quirk that can leave them with far less. Finucan noted the average lost benefit is nearly $2,000 per month, “enough for rent in some areas.”
Blumenthal countered fiscal arguments by pointing to the cost of military operations abroad. During the March floor debate, just as U.S. strikes began in Iran, he said: “I am heartbroken for a nation that can afford to spend tens of billions of dollars in a conflict far away … when we are failing to match their bravery with our own.” He dismissed Johnson’s procedural objections as “meaningless.”
The bill enjoys broad bipartisan support—nearly 80 senators and more than 320 House members have signed on. But it has repeatedly stalled under GOP leadership. Johnson suggested it could move through regular committee process, saying if it has “great” support, “I might even vote for it.”
Hegseth’s public stance adds a new dynamic as the Pentagon pushes its massive budget, which has drawn wide Republican backing. Whether his support can overcome entrenched cost concerns remains to be seen, but veterans advocates are betting it can tip the scales.
