A Republican bill with 2 Democratic cosponsors · See all 5 cosponsors
Last activity — Held at the desk.
Passed one chamber, waiting for the other to take it up
Passed one chamber, and the other has not yet sent it to a committee or put it on its calendar.
The other chamber will hand it to a committee, place it on its calendar, or leave it where it is. Nothing has been decided, and a bill can sit here indefinitely.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- Passed Senate unanimous consent
- Awaiting House
The Senate by unanimous consent (no one objected, so there was no vote): no senator's position on it was recorded.
What this bill would do
The ARCA Act of 2025 aims to reorganize the acquisition structure within the Department of Veterans Affairs. It establishes an Office of Acquisition led by an Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and a Chief Acquisition Officer. The bill creates several leadership roles, including Deputy Assistant Secretaries for logistics, procurement, and program management. It also establishes a Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation to provide independent cost estimates. Additionally, the act mandates independent verification and validation for major acquisition programs. Finally, it seeks to improve the hiring of entry-level acquisition positions through expanded internship programs.
Yes· 3 of 5
- Scored +6
Does this make the government pay for what it commits to?
The bill establishes a Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation to conduct independent cost estimates and analyze major acquisition programs.
- Scored +5
Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together?
The bill improves the management and oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs' acquisition and procurement processes.
- Scored +5
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?
The bill mandates annual reports on cost estimation and program evaluation to be submitted to Congress.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Improved Oversight of Major Programs: The bill establishes a Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation to conduct independent cost estimates and analyze major acquisition programs (Section 6). This could lead to better fiscal management of large-scale projects.
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Enhanced Program Validation: The requirement for independent verification and validation of major acquisition programs can ensure that program requirements, costs, and schedules are correctly defined and measured (Section 5).
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Standardized Requirements Development: The creation of a standardized requirements development process aims to incorporate stakeholder input and data-driven needs assessments (Section 9).
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Workforce Development: The act mandates that the Secretary prioritize the use of acquisition internship programs to hire employees into entry-level positions, with a requirement to increase the number of participants (Section 7).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Organizational Upheaval: The bill requires a significant organizational consolidation of all Department activities related to acquisition, procurement, contracting, and logistics under the Assistant Secretary for Acquisition within one year (Section 4).
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Potential Resource Limitations for New Processes: The new requirements development process must be implemented using existing staff without creating new positions unless a specific cost-benefit analysis justifies the need for additional resources (Section 9).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this make the government pay for what it commits to? — The bill establishes a Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation to conduct independent cost estimates and analyze major acquisition programs.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together? — The bill improves the management and oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs' acquisition and procurement processes.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill mandates annual reports on cost estimation and program evaluation to be submitted to Congress.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this increase the pay, pensions or support veterans receive? — The bill aims to improve the efficiency and oversight of Department of Veterans Affairs acquisitions through reorganized leadership and cost assessment.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this strengthen Social Security? — The bill focuses on the administrative and acquisition efficiency of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
- 12/15/2025
- Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Held at the desk.
- Received in the House.
- 12/11/2025
- Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S8694-8696; text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S8694-8696)
- 12/10/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 12/2/2025
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Reported by Senator Moran with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 119-97.
- Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 277.
- 11/4/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/20/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 9/2/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/30/2025
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/21/2025
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 119-86.
- 5/5/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Introduced in Senate
3 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Richard BlumenthalDemocrat · Connecticut
Jim BanksRepublican · Indiana
Angus KingIndependent · Maine
Mike RoundsRepublican · South Dakota
Mark WarnerDemocrat · Virginia