Analyses / Whip Count Analysis / 119 · S 1383 Whip Count Analysis

119-S-1383 DC Insider Whip Count Analysis

119 · S 1383 Veterans Accessibility Advisory Committee Act of 2025

settings Government Operations and Politics
Veterans Accessibility Advisory Committee Act of 2025This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish the Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access to address the...

S.1383 cleared the Senate by unanimous consent on December 18, 2025, and mirrors a House companion (H.R. 1147) that earlier passed under suspension—pointing to broad, bipartisan support. With Republicans controlling both chambers and Veterans’ Affairs chairs (Sen. Moran; Rep. Bost) aligned, the bill’s House prospects are strong. Outside pressure from VSOs (e.g., MOAA, PVA, BVA) and recent VA OIG findings on Section 508 compliance reinforce momentum. Barring calendar congestion or minor text differences, House passage early in the next working stretch is highly likely. [1]Congress.gov — S.1383 — Congress.gov overview (latest action: Passed Senate by…[2]Congress.gov — H.R. 1147 — Congress.gov overview (sponsor, status, companion)[3]Congress.gov — Congressional Record: House passage of H.R. 1147 under suspensio…[4]Wikipedia — 119th United States Congress (party control, leadership)[5]Senate.gov — U.S. Senate: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (official membership l…[6]Congress.gov — H.Res. 13 — Electing Members to certain standing committees (HVA…[7]MOAA — MOAA: Bipartisan bill would strengthen access, oversight for veterans wi…[8]U.S. Senate (Rick Scott) — Sen. Rick Scott press release: Veterans Accessibilit…[9]VA OIG via Oversight.gov — VA OIG Audit: Accessibility in VA IT procurement (Ju…

Analyzed as
DC Insider
Published
20 Dec 2025
Updated
20 Dec 2025
Tags
Whip Count · 119th Congress · Veterans Affairs
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01 · Section

Breakdown: Expected support/opposition

Key indicators point to broad bipartisan passage dynamics, with prior House action on a companion measure and a Senate UC clearance signaling minimal organized opposition.

  • Senate status: Passed by unanimous consent on December 18, 2025 (no recorded opposition); measure was reported by SVAC Chairman Jerry Moran and moved on the floor without objection. [1]Congress.gov — S.1383 — Congress.gov overview (latest action: Passed Senate by…
  • House precedent: Companion H.R. 1147 (same short title/topic) passed the House on May 19, 2025 under suspension of the rules—managed on the floor by Chair Mike Bost and Ranking Member Mark Takano—indicating strong bipartisan support. [2]Congress.gov — H.R. 1147 — Congress.gov overview (sponsor, status, companion)[3]Congress.gov — Congressional Record: House passage of H.R. 1147 under suspensio…
  • Majorities and committee alignment: Republicans control both chambers; Senate Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by Jerry Moran (R‑KS) with Richard Blumenthal (D‑CT) as Ranking Member; House Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by Mike Bost (R‑IL). These are the key gatekeepers and they are aligned with the bill. [4]Wikipedia — 119th United States Congress (party control, leadership)[5]Senate.gov — U.S. Senate: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (official membership l…[6]Congress.gov — H.Res. 13 — Electing Members to certain standing committees (HVA…
  • Interest groups: Public endorsements/supportive statements include MOAA, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Blinded Veterans Association—support that typically eases passage on suspension. [7]MOAA — MOAA: Bipartisan bill would strengthen access, oversight for veterans wi…[8]U.S. Senate (Rick Scott) — Sen. Rick Scott press release: Veterans Accessibilit…
  • Context: VA OIG has flagged gaps in Section 508 accessibility oversight and procurement, which provides a policy rationale for an advisory committee focused on equal access—another tailwind for bipartisan backing. [10]VA OIG via Oversight.gov — VA OIG Audit: Improve accessibility oversight for VA…[9]VA OIG via Oversight.gov — VA OIG Audit: Accessibility in VA IT procurement (Ju…
02 · Section

Key legislators (swing/pivotal)

Given the bipartisan posture, pivotal players are institutional gatekeepers and bill champions rather than ideological swing votes.

  • Senate floor/committee: Majority Leader John Thune (controls floor timing) and SVAC Chair Jerry Moran (R‑KS) advanced S.1383; Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D‑CT) is a co‑lead, underscoring cross‑party buy‑in. [11]Office of Sen. John Thune — Thune delivers first remarks as Senate Majority Lea…[5]Senate.gov — U.S. Senate: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (official membership l…
  • House floor: Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise control floor access/suspensions; both offices routinely schedule noncontroversial VA bills on suspension days. [12]Speaker of the House — Speaker.gov — Mike Johnson official site (leadership con…[13]Web search · turn 14 #0
  • House committee posture: HVAC Chair Mike Bost (R‑IL) and Ranking Member Mark Takano (D‑CA) already managed the companion bill on the floor—evidence of bipartisan ownership. [3]Congress.gov — Congressional Record: House passage of H.R. 1147 under suspensio…
  • Bill sponsors/champions: S.1383 is led by Sen. Rick Scott (R‑FL) with Sens. Gillibrand (D‑NY), Moran (R‑KS), and Blumenthal (D‑CT) among the listed co‑sponsors; House companion champions include Rep. David Valadao (R‑CA) and Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D‑KY). [1]Congress.gov — S.1383 — Congress.gov overview (latest action: Passed Senate by…[2]Congress.gov — H.R. 1147 — Congress.gov overview (sponsor, status, companion)
  • Executive/agency: VA Secretary Doug Collins’ portfolio places VA implementation decisions in the executive branch; no public SAP noted, but VA maintains an active Section 508 program—implementation‑ready context. [14]Associated Press — AP: Doug Collins confirmed as VA Secretary (Feb. 2025)[15]Web search · turn 4 #0
03 · Section

Leadership influence and procedural dynamics

This is a low‑drama, high‑consensus veterans’ policy item moving in a GOP‑run Congress.

  • Chamber control: Republicans hold both the House and Senate in the 119th Congress; Senate GOP leadership under Majority Leader John Thune has been moving consensus items briskly. [4]Wikipedia — 119th United States Congress (party control, leadership)[11]Office of Sen. John Thune — Thune delivers first remarks as Senate Majority Lea…
  • Senate procedure already complete: Passage by unanimous consent eliminates cloture risks and signals no organized Senate opposition. [1]Congress.gov — S.1383 — Congress.gov overview (latest action: Passed Senate by…
  • House path of least resistance: Historical handling of the companion (H.R. 1147) under suspension strongly suggests S.1383 can be taken up the same way—avoiding the Rules Committee and needing two‑thirds support (which the earlier vote effectively demonstrated). [3]Congress.gov — Congressional Record: House passage of H.R. 1147 under suspensio…
  • Calendar/timing: End‑of‑year floor time is constrained and the House’s internal strains have periodically complicated scheduling; that said, veterans measures with visible VSO support usually win time on the suspension calendar. [16]Washington Post — Washington Post: Johnson faces challenges maintaining House c…[7]MOAA — MOAA: Bipartisan bill would strengthen access, oversight for veterans wi…
04 · Section

Assessment: Likelihood of passage

Bottom line: strong glidepath in the House; enactment likely once one chamber accepts the other’s text.

Senate final hurdle
1UC passed (Dec 18, 2025)
House prior vote on companion
2Suspension (2/3) — passed May 19, 2025
Chamber control
2GOP majorities (House/Senate)
  • Estimated likelihood of House passage: High (85–95%). Rationale: prior House suspension passage of the companion; bipartisan Senate UC; aligned committee chairs; supportive VSOs; minimal budget impact per CBO listing. [2]Congress.gov — H.R. 1147 — Congress.gov overview (sponsor, status, companion)[3]Congress.gov — Congressional Record: House passage of H.R. 1147 under suspensio…[1]Congress.gov — S.1383 — Congress.gov overview (latest action: Passed Senate by…[5]Senate.gov — U.S. Senate: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (official membership l…[7]MOAA — MOAA: Bipartisan bill would strengthen access, oversight for veterans wi…
  • Confidence: High. The remaining variables are sequencing/logistics (which vehicle and when), not votes. [2]Congress.gov — H.R. 1147 — Congress.gov overview (sponsor, status, companion)[1]Congress.gov — S.1383 — Congress.gov overview (latest action: Passed Senate by…
  • Timing: Most plausible windows are the next available House suspension day once members return in January, unless leadership squeezes it onto a late‑December unanimous‑consent block. Internal House scheduling frictions could nudge this to early January, but they’re unlikely to sink the bill. [16]Washington Post — Washington Post: Johnson faces challenges maintaining House c…
05 · Section

Sourcing (select)

Key load‑bearing references for status, control, leadership, and stakeholder positions.

  • Congress.gov pages for S.1383 status/text and House companion H.R. 1147 (status, vote path). [1]Congress.gov — S.1383 — Congress.gov overview (latest action: Passed Senate by…[2]Congress.gov — H.R. 1147 — Congress.gov overview (sponsor, status, companion)
  • Congressional Record excerpt documenting H.R. 1147 passing under suspension, managed by Bost/Takano. [3]Congress.gov — Congressional Record: House passage of H.R. 1147 under suspensio…
  • Senate/House control and leadership (Majority Leader Thune; Speaker Johnson; GOP majorities). [11]Office of Sen. John Thune — Thune delivers first remarks as Senate Majority Lea…[12]Speaker of the House — Speaker.gov — Mike Johnson official site (leadership con…[4]Wikipedia — 119th United States Congress (party control, leadership)
  • Committee chairs/membership: Senate VA (Moran chair; Blumenthal ranking); House VA chair designation. [5]Senate.gov — U.S. Senate: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (official membership l…[6]Congress.gov — H.Res. 13 — Electing Members to certain standing committees (HVA…
  • VSO/advocacy support (MOAA; PVA/BVA quotes). [7]MOAA — MOAA: Bipartisan bill would strengthen access, oversight for veterans wi…[8]U.S. Senate (Rick Scott) — Sen. Rick Scott press release: Veterans Accessibilit…
  • VA OIG accessibility findings (Section 508 oversight/procurement). [10]VA OIG via Oversight.gov — VA OIG Audit: Improve accessibility oversight for VA…[9]VA OIG via Oversight.gov — VA OIG Audit: Accessibility in VA IT procurement (Ju…
  • Executive branch: VA Secretary Collins confirmation (context for implementation). [14]Associated Press — AP: Doug Collins confirmed as VA Secretary (Feb. 2025)
Sources cited
  1. [1] S.1383 — Congress.gov overview (latest action: Passed Senate by UC, Dec. 18, 2025) Congress.gov
  2. [2] H.R. 1147 — Congress.gov overview (sponsor, status, companion) Congress.gov
  3. [3] Congressional Record: House passage of H.R. 1147 under suspension (May 19, 2025) Congress.gov
  4. [4] 119th United States Congress (party control, leadership) Wikipedia
  5. [5] U.S. Senate: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (official membership list) Senate.gov
  6. [6] H.Res. 13 — Electing Members to certain standing committees (HVAC chair) Congress.gov
  7. [7] MOAA: Bipartisan bill would strengthen access, oversight for veterans with disabilities (support for VA accessibility advisory panel) MOAA
  8. [8] Sen. Rick Scott press release: Veterans Accessibility Act (includes PVA, BVA support quotes) U.S. Senate (Rick Scott)
  9. [9] VA OIG Audit: Accessibility in VA IT procurement (July 1, 2025) VA OIG via Oversight.gov
  10. [10] VA OIG Audit: Improve accessibility oversight for VA websites/IT (Jan. 17, 2024) VA OIG via Oversight.gov
  11. [11] Thune delivers first remarks as Senate Majority Leader (Jan. 3, 2025) Office of Sen. John Thune
  12. [12] Speaker.gov — Mike Johnson official site (leadership control of House floor) Speaker of the House
  13. [13] Web search · turn 14 #0
  14. [14] AP: Doug Collins confirmed as VA Secretary (Feb. 2025) Associated Press
  15. [15] Web search · turn 4 #0
  16. [16] Washington Post: Johnson faces challenges maintaining House control (scheduling/frictions context) Washington Post

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