Although Bost said that he’d heard a rumor that former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (R., Hawaii) could be Trump’s choice to lead the VA, he said that “I think [Congressman] Jack Bergman would be someone who would be able to do that as well with his administrative experience.” Bergman, who briefly ran for Speaker of the House last year, retired from the Marines Corps as a Lieutenant General, and is the highest-ranking combat veteran ever elected to Congress. Bost actually beat Bergman in 2020 as the two vied to take over the VA Committee.
Regardless of who ends up leading the VA, Bost has faith that “President Trump will choose that person who understands the veterans issues and who understands how to be an administrator, and who understands that whoever gets that job has to deal with the second largest bureaucracy in the world.”
The contrast between the Biden administration’s VA and Trump’s will be stark, he added.
“There was no punishment for senior employees in the Biden administration,” Bost said. “They ignored sexual harassment that was being done actually by the people who were supposed to be monitoring not having sexual harassment. They openly denied veterans health care they wanted and they needed. Remember that we also had a situation where we provided after COVID the money to give bonuses to the frontline workers, the nurses, and the docs. Unfortunately, they decided that it was okay to give themselves in upper level administration bonuses.”
One of Bost’s main goals for the next Congress is to “pass the Restore Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Accountability Act, and hopefully get it signed into law.” He’s also confident that whoever is running the Trump administration’s VA will be a willing partner: “During the last Trump administration, the VA was alive and well and following what needed to be done, but that had a whole lot to do with the fact that they had the ability to remove bad employees who weren’t putting veterans first and ultimately improve the veterans’ trust in the VA…I want to build on that momentum.”
Bost is hoping to work with Democrats on his committee, though he hasn’t had much luck doing so so far. The VA Committee held bombshell hearings about how its agency dedicated to combatting sexual harassment “allowed [predators] to run rampant,” a whistleblower told the Spectator. “That whistleblower went to the Democrats first, and they would not pay attention, and then they came to Republicans,” Bost said. “And it was a very serious accusation, not only very serious accusation, as well as they also had a tremendous amount of evidence.”
When it came to the bombshell report, “unfortunately, [the Democrats] were protecting the majority and the bureaucracy at all costs and not looking after the veterans,” he said. “Now as we move forward, they are also doing the same thing when we talked about the about the Mission Act. The Mission Act is very simple. If you want to provide the quick and immediate services to the veteran, and if you can’t do that through a VA, or that veteran is not located near the VA, you and can’t provide the need, you have to provide the needs outside the VA system.”
“We’ve got to move forward, and while we hope that the Democrats will come with us, if we keep the majority, and I’m going to be working to get their support in a bipartisan manner, but they have to understand that we need to get this done,” Bost continued.
“Conflict is inevitable,” the veteran lawmaker said. “Combat is optional.”
Below is a transcript of our interview with Rep. Mike Bost, lightly edited for clarity.
Washington Reporter:
Let’s start off with why you are running for another term as chair of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
Rep. Mike Bost:
First off, I appreciate you having me. I want to keep in my leadership position. However, remember, we’re still waiting on the votes to come in and for the Steering Committee to agree that they want to keep me on as a chairman, I really hope that they do. I think we’ve made a lot of accomplishments in the 118th Congress that will work, I hope into the 119th Congress. It’s been an honor to serve as Chairman. I never thought this corporal from the Marine Corps would have that opportunity, and that getting the trust of the conference in the 118th was amazing, and like I said, I hope they will continue to support me in the 119th, and that we have the majority, and it looks like we’re going to but we’ve done some incredible things over the years. That one most importantly, a lot of people just think that the only thing we do is pass legislation. But also you’ve got to understand that one of the key issues is to make sure you’re holding the administration accountable, and we spent the last two years doing that and holding the feet to the fire of the Biden administration on a range of issues, ultimately, that matter most of the veterans and their families. First off, so you know this about me as a veteran myself, and as the father of a veteran and as the grandfather of a veteran, and as the grandson and son of a veteran, this is this mission is vitally important to me, to make sure that our veterans receive the benefits that they deserve. One thing that I’ve always made very, very clear, and I’ve said so many times, either while out talking to our veterans and or talking from the chair position, is remember this: the VA was not created for the VA. The VA was created for the veterans. Sometimes the bureaucrats in the VA forget about that and they think that it’s about their jobs. It’s not about their jobs. We want to have employees that do a good job and that are happy to serve our veterans in that position, but when it becomes more about your job than it does about the veterans you’re serving, there’s a problem, and that’s why we have to have accountability. Now, during the last Trump administration, the VA was alive and well and following what needed to be done, but that had a whole lot to do with the fact that they had the ability to remove bad employees who weren’t putting veterans first and ultimately improve the veterans’ trust in the VA by Trump delivering on that in his first administration. I want to build on that momentum. What we want to do this Congress is we want to get back to where the bad employees can be processed out. There’s no place in senior leadership. And let me explain that. So it’s one thing about the frontline employees. They have their contracts under the unions, and they have the rights and everything that they get from the unions. But there was no punishment for senior employees in the Biden administration. They ignored sexual harassment that was being done actually by the people who were supposed to be monitoring not having sexual harassment. They openly denied veterans health care they wanted and they needed. Remember that we also had a situation where we provided after COVID the money to give bonuses to the frontline workers, the nurses, and the docs. Unfortunately, they decided that it was okay to give themselves in upper level administration bonuses. So next Congress, I’m hoping to pass the Restore Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Accountability Act, and hopefully get it signed into law. So that’s one of the issues that I want to work on. But I also want to make sure that the VA is getting those who aren’t meeting the mission of what they’re supposed to do, where we can process them out. So there are a lot of issues out there, and that’s the main reason why I’m pushing forward, hopefully, to maintain the chairmanship of this of the VA. I understand what needs to be done and what makes it right for our veterans.
Washington Reporter:
Do you have a bumper sticker slogan for why you’re running for chair again?
Rep. Mike Bost:
My case is what we’ve been doing, and we’ve got a lot of things to be done. When we start talking about something that’s going on that I have to wake people up to is that the VA, depending on where you’re at in the country or the world, you’ve got to realize that some of the bureaucrats in the administration choose not to obey the law, which is the Mission Act. And so we need someone at the helm who will get that control of them and say, no, no, no, this is the law. It’s not a suggestion. The law requires that veterans not wait for care, and they get the care that meets their needs when they need it. It’s not all VAs, but it is several of them that are more worried about securing the bureaucracy and the VA than they are about providing for the mission and they lose sight of that.
Washington Reporter:
One of the highest profile achievements that you had as chair this year was exposing the rampant sexual harassment in VAs across the country. I’ve spoken to several of the whistleblowers who came to your office as well, and your findings let to the national anti-fraternization policy at the agency. One of the things that I thought was so interesting in speaking with these whistleblowers was how they actually first approached the Democrats on your committee who told them to pound sand. Can you talk about how, with unified Republican control, you see working with the Democrats on this committee? Are they totally beholden to government unions and don’t want to actually fix the VA?
Rep. Mike Bost:
Unfortunately, they were protecting the majority and the bureaucracy at all costs and not looking after the veterans. And when we’ve seen that, as you had just mentioned, it was a problem that existed when the agency that was supposed to be, and the head of that agency, governing and monitoring and correcting any time that down to the most frontline level, that there was sexual harassment, was filled with sexual harassment. We got the report through a whistleblower that you said, that whistleblower went to the Democrats first, and they would not pay attention, and then they came to Republicans. And it was a very serious accusation, not only very serious accusation, as well as they also had a tremendous amount of evidence. I then sent a letter to the Secretary of the VA. It was 50 days before I finally said, because he wouldn’t respond back, later I believe that the bureaucracy itself kept the letter from him, and even though he denied that, I think that the system is wanting to protect itself, and the Democrats are wanting, to protect that system. Now as we move forward, they are also doing the same thing with the Mission Act. The Mission Act is very simple. If you want to provide the quick and immediate services to the veteran, and if you can’t do that through a VA, or that veteran is not located near the VA, you and can’t provide the need, you have to provide the needs outside the VA system. Now the Democrats, the reason why they’ve been dragging their feet on allowing us and trying to block with the Elizabeth Dole Act, which, just so you know, we believe we’re going to be able to move when we get back in a couple weeks, not first week back, but maybe the second week back. Within the House Democratic caucus, specifically the ranking member of our committee, has been very, very clear that he didn’t want to put any Democrats on it, because he didn’t like the fact that it actually provided services in the community instead, and he felt it was too much money spent on providing for services in the community, and it will take away from the VA. As I said early on, this is not about the bureaucracy and the VA. The VA was not created for the VA. The VA was created for the veterans. And now we’ve got a law in place. You can’t just put your head in the sand and say that law doesn’t exist. We’ve got to move forward, and while we hope that the Democrats will come with us, if we keep the majority, and I’m going to be working to get their support in a bipartisan manner, but they have to understand that we need to get this done. I’m not opposed to unions. I was union firefighter. My grandfather was head of the United Mine Workers union. But the thing is, when we talk about the VA, it’s not about the union. It’s about the veterans.
Washington Reporter:
Do you think that there are opportunities now with heading into unified Republican control for Congress to work with the Trump administration on ways to keep the VA accountable for things like performance on care quality, trial recruitment, and efficiency? Are those opportunities for the VA to be more veterans oriented?
Rep. Mike Bost:
I do. I do. And the reason why is, remember, whenever I was talking earlier, Trump proved that before, in making sure that he didn’t union bust. The unions, they have their contract, and there’s a process by which they get due process, but that’s the front line group. But if Democrats had their way, it would be unionized all the way up to the Secretary and what happened is, time and time again, and you won’t have this with the Trump administration, if these people got caught, whether it was giving themselves bonuses, whether it was sexual harassment, whether it was all that, they gave them the opportunity to one retire or two, worse than that. They just simply promote them or move them to a different location in this mega bureaucracy, which is the VA, to make sure that they can be secure, that they can keep them employed, and try and make the problem go away, rather than doing what is supposed to be done, and that is that if you’re not working the way you’re supposed to work, you’re fired. That’s just it. Any other private health care system, hospital or otherwise out there, would, if you had an employee with that many problems, whether administration or otherwise, if you had an employee do these things, you would fire them, and this administration chose not to do that. That’s going to be the answer to your question, because, I believe, Trump proved it from the last time he was president, that those upper level administrators will be held accountable to do their job and what’s doing their job? Making sure that veterans are provided for in the best possible way, and that you’re doing your job with honesty and integrity and understanding where your focus at is at, and that’s on the veterans, their benefits, and the benefits also of their families.
Washington Reporter:
If Trump called you after we are done talking and says, ‘Congressman, who should I have staffing the highest levels of the VA?’ do you have any thoughts on who you’d like to see as a partner from agency side?
Rep. Mike Bost:
I do. I have a couple who I think would be very good. There are people who know and understand what veterans need and deserve. Some of them are actually elected. Some of them are out in the VA community. Somebody told me that Tulsi Gabbard was being considered. If you look at elected officials that might be appropriate to handle that position, I think Jack Bergman would be someone who would be able to do that as well with his administrative experience. But I can tell you this, I do believe that President Trump will choose that person who understands the veterans issues and who understands how to be an administrator, and who understands that whoever gets that job has to deal with the second largest bureaucracy in the world.
Washington Reporter:
As you were mentioning, if your last name is Bost, you’re probably a veteran. What is the significance of Veterans Day for you?
Rep. Mike Bost:
Well, Veterans Day means a lot to us, because remember, many of the people in my family, even though sometimes a draft was implemented, volunteered to serve. My dad was drafted. My uncles were drafted. My grandfather was drafted. Those were different times, the Second World War, Korean War. My uncle, who went in early into the Vietnam War, he volunteered, and, matter of fact, he had an out, because he was already accepted at the university, and was actually attending Southern Illinois University, and chose to go in. And it was early in around 1965 and not only that, but the bad thing is, he was the one who was a victim of the ultimate oxymoron, which was friendly fire. He’s alive. He’s had a very successful life thanks to the VA, but he faced a lot adversity. But I volunteered. My son volunteered, my grandson volunteered. We as veterans know those who went before and understand that, yes, I’m a veteran, but I’m not a combat veteran. And let me tell you, those who have served us at the combat level and then either have been disabled and also decorated, they gave so much, and as we say, some gave all. And we need to make sure that we send a clear message that of not only thank you, but look, if the if the DoD broke it while you were in, our job is to try to make you as whole as possible.
Washington Reporter:
We recently published a great op-ed of yours on the importance of voter integrity to you as an Illinoisan. Can you talk about the work your committee has done on exposing the very sketchy voter registration activity that was being run out of the VA?
Rep. Mike Bost:
You gotta realize that being from Illinois, I tell all these people who argue that there’s no voter fraud, that know that there is. Well, first off, let me tell you that the federal government cannot set election law. That has to be the state government, and many people argue back during the last Trump election, that when he lost that ‘oh, well, you need to stop voter fraud from the federal government.’ Unfortunately, the Constitution doesn’t say that. We need to make sure that what happens in the state is correct, but voter fraud must be handled at the state level, unless it’s being done by a federal agency. And that’s the concern we had with the VA because it was kind of unique as the fact that they were basically doing what we would call an Illinois motor voter, but this time it would be veteran voter, getting them registered. But they only did it in inner cities where the higher percentage was that they would lean in one direction. So there was a concern, and that’s why we aggressively went out and said, ‘hey, show us what you’re doing here. And why is it that it’s more important to have this experiment of registration being done in here where it just glows blue and not out where it may be pink, purple, or stronger red?’ and they can’t really answer that. So that kind of sends a clear message.
Washington Reporter:
We did see Illinois, and virtually every state, shift fairly drastically to the right this cycle. What do you make of Illinois’s election results?
Rep. Mike Bost:
Well, let me tell you that when I was first elected 30 years ago to the state House of Illinois, here’s what a lot of people don’t remember: Illinois elected a House that was Republican, a Senate that was Republican controlled, and every statewide office holder, and had that for two years, until the House was flipped back to the Democrats. Let me say it this way, just because you live in Chicago, just because you’re a union member, just because you’re of a certain race, doesn’t control how you vote. I think this election was a very, very clear statement that it’s about your pocketbook. It’s about the security that you feel and safety that you feel in our nation, in our communities, and if the government, the elected officials who are in your community, aren’t satisfying those basic needs for you as a citizen, don’t feel obligated to keep voting for them. In Illinois, they woke up to the fact that doing the same things over and over again and getting the same results is probably not the best way to go. And I think that’s what happened. Now, did you see Cook County change? No. Did you see the Collar Counties change? You know, the Collar Counties, their issue is that they’re about abortion and and the sad thing is it’s not about the children that you don’t have. It’s about taking care of the children that you do have. And I think that there’s several people waking up to that too.
Washington Reporter:
Your governor, JB Pritzker, is running for president. He is threatening lawfare against Trump already. What would you like to see from Springfield for the next four years of a Trump administration, in terms of trying to not obstruct everything he’s doing?
Rep. Mike Bost:
Well, first off, understand this: using your power to advance a political agenda that a majority of the people have said they don’t want, is what they tried to do from the beginning, eight years ago, and automatically now you have your key Democratic Party people, including JB Pritzker, who all of a sudden have thrown the gauntlet down and said, ‘I’m going to fight you’ from the very beginning. Well, I’m going to tell you good luck with that, because this wasn’t a close election. It was a very clear election, and it was not about a lot of the agenda that you all are pushing, which has led to this woke mentality. It has led to the problems that exist right now with anti-Semitism. Whenever Democrats claim that they stand up for each individual’s rights, remember that they put their head in the sand when it comes to everybody screaming in the street. Instead of paying attention, instead of providing an America where everybody can feel free and where everybody has a right to exist and stop the actual rioting and violence, they ignore the problems. Look, everybody has the right to free speech, but free speech does not include taking away someone else’s rights, and physically coming in contact with them or destroying property. That’s what people don’t understand. Free speech is that which is the right to stand on the public square and express your opinion without the fear of being incarcerated or of other people attacking you. But yet they are encouraging us, and I think that maybe this early in the process, after a landslide election, you should probably sit back and think about what you’re saying, and obviously Illinois and the elected officials of Chicago itself as well, but definitely our Illinois governor, should maybe pay attention that a lot of those voting people that you’re bad mouthing, they are your Illinois citizens.
Washington Reporter:
Do you think that there’s any hope for Republicans to win the governor’s race in 2026 and Senate race in Illinois?
Rep. Mike Bost:
I know there’s always hope, because believe me when you talk about like in 1995 when the Republicans took total control, the Democrats felt like there was no hope. Then all of a sudden, they flipped back to that point, and I think their policies have gone so extreme, and if they continue down the path of those extreme policies, there is a hope for us to pick up those seats.
Washington Reporter:
Closer to home by you in Southern Illinois, we’ve seen that Republicans made inroads in cities. There’s a state representative, Kevin Schmidt, who won again in a district with parts of East St. Louis. What lessons do you think Republicans can draw from Trump’s far better performance in Chicago, and from closer to you, with Kevin Schmidt winning in East St. Louis?
Rep. Mike Bost:
Kevin Schmit knows the people of his district. He proved that. And it’s one thing when you’re elected on a fluke, but you don’t get to hold the seat on a fluke, and he held the seat, and that’s because he’s out every day, doing his job as state representative, listening to his people, making votes based on it, and if they don’t agree, it doesn’t become a major problem. Look, conflict is inevitable, combat is optional. And all of a sudden, if you just don’t go and scream in a person’s face and explain why your view is and and you can actually convert several of them over to you if you’re standing on the right side of the issue.
Washington Reporter:
Over the years, you’ve had no shortage of interactions with Mike Madigan. You’re still in office. He’s on trial. This is the tale of two Mikes from Illinois. One of your interactions with Madigan led to your first viral moment ever, back in your state legislative days. What’s been your take on watching the demise of the man who was once one of the most powerful people in the state of Illinois?
Rep. Mike Bost:
One statement that I have always made, up until this time, and up until the time of his actual indictment, and you remember my rant, I actually said this: Mike Madigan knows the Constitution. He was around when it was written. And I don’t mean that the guy is old. A lot of people don’t understand that. Remember with Illinois’s 1970 Constitution, Mike Madigan was a member of con con. He was assigned by Mayor Daley to be that member of con con to have oversight to make sure Chicago got the stuff it could get. He’s a very good politician. I’ve actually said that from the Illinois House floor while he was in the chair. I said ‘you’re one of the best politicians and most respected politicians for your ability to understand how to move legislation, how to keep people in what is the machine of Chicago and Illinois,’ but I always said that he knew the Illinois Constitution so well that he knew where to go to the line and not overstep the line, which is the edge of the cliff. Madigan himself wouldn’t go over, but he’d is push somebody else over to get it done. And maybe, just maybe, the ones he pushed over as what might be his downfall. I don’t know. I’m watching the case. I’m listening to the case. Thank heaven I’ve got nothing to do with the case. Mike Madigan was the last of the of the old bosses, of the Daley group. Mayor Daley was his godfather. We’ll see how the legal system actually handles this and if they can get a conviction or not. But like I said, they’ve convicted everybody all around him, including everybody who was at ComEd, and that situation occurred the way it did, and we’ll see what the federal prosecutors get done in this case. Madigan has always been very, very safe, and people need to know who he is. Remember, he puts nothing on an email that he has signed that he’s been involved with, that he has that direct contact with. He doesn’t use cell phone, text, anything like that. It’s always somebody else that did it, but all the people around him have now been convicted, and it’s interesting from a political side to watch, and interesting from a legal side to watch. My personal feelings towards Mike Madigan were strictly business. I never made anything personal with him, even though I watched him, I believe, take Illinois down a completely wrong path, and he was very, very happy to see me go to Congress. He actually walked up to me on the House floor when he found out that I was going to Congress, and he said, ‘you’re going away, right?’ And I told him ‘ye sir, I’m going away.’
Washington Reporter:
A lot of your incoming colleagues, like Tom Barrett and Troy Nehls, are veterans themselves. Several of them cited our failures in Afghanistan for why they decided to run for office. What’s your advice, as a veteran, to other veterans in the country, who are thinking that running for office may be their next step in their service to our country? How has being a veteran informed your career in office?
Rep. Mike Bost:
When you actually become a part of the military, and you’re sworn in, and you live through your time in boot camp, and while I’m partial to the Marine Corps, but this is true of any of our branches of service, it changes who you are. And let me tell you: I’m not a combat veteran. There are certain key things you pick up as a veteran and there are certain key things you pick up as a combat veteran, and that’s why we have so much respect for decorated combat veterans above all else. To those veterans I would say, use the talents that are given to you, and taught to you, as well as those leadership traits that you’ve learned, and apply those towards your campaign, and the honor and respect and carrying yourself and understand that you’re doing it for a greater goal than just you. That you’re doing it for the people you’re working for, and then you’ve got to let the people that you’re trying to work for know that that’s the case, and then when you are elected, make sure that you keep showing them that you are working for them.
Washington Reporter:
Finally, you know southern Illinois better than almost anyone else, so I need to know: have you ever seen the ‘big muddy monster’ yourself?
Rep. Mike Bost:
I have not, but I sure have some good friends who did. I believe that they know that they saw something. And I believe that they are very, very, very convinced, and they are people who are respected in the community, and are still respected in the community, and one of them will defend it fiercely. There is a certain police officer, who later became police chief, and he said that they know what they saw, and they know what they smelled, and they know how their dogs reacted, and they know what little children saw. It was something, for sure.
Washington Reporter:
Well Congressman, thank you so much for chatting about all things VA and big muddy monster.