In committee
VET Act of 2025
This bill creates a Department of Labor grant program offering energy and equipment manufacturing companies up to $10,000 per worker to hire transitioning servicemembers, veterans, and military spouses. The funding helps employers cover recruitment, relocation, and job training or licensing costs, capped at $500,000 per company each year. Priority is given to small businesses, companies in economically distressed areas, and veterans with disabilities or relevant technical backgrounds. In return, participating businesses must report on employee salaries, job retention, and satisfaction, and face federal audits to ensure the money is spent properly.
People affected—not determinable from the text provided; the total number of transitioning service members, veterans, or spouses hired depends on future grant allocations and employer participation rates
Fiscal magnitude$360.0Mprovisional · pending reviewSec. 2(b)(1152)(h)(1) authorizes $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031 ($360,000,000 total over 6 years).
Reach30provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
What this bill touches.
Spending vs. restraint+28Role of government+26
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- Transitioning service members, veterans, and military spousesEligible for grant-subsidized hiring, training, licensure, certification, and relocation support by energy sector employers, with preferences given to those who are disabled, homeless, involuntarily separated, or have energy-related military backgrounds (Sec. 2(b)(1152)(a), (b), (d)).
- Energy sector employersCan receive federal grant reimbursements of up to $10,000 per hire and up to $500,000 annually for recruitment, training, certification, and relocation costs when hiring covered veterans and spouses, with preference given to small businesses and entities in qualified opportunity zones (Sec. 2(b)(1152)(a), (c), (d)).
Who it burdens
- Participating energy sector employersMust submit annual compliance reports on grant expenditures, employee retention, worker satisfaction, and compensation; submit to audits by the DOL Inspector General or GAO; and repay any improperly used grant money (Sec. 2(b)(1152)(e)).
- Department of LaborMust establish and administer the new grant program, coordinate with the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs, submit initial and final coordination plans, and deliver annual reports and a comprehensive program evaluation to Congress by September 30, 2030 (Sec. 2(b)(1152)(a), (f), (g), Sec. 2(c)).
Who backs it
- Federal taxpayersAuthorizes $60,000,000 in federal appropriations for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2031 to finance the grant program and administrative costs (Sec. 2(b)(1152)(h)(1)).