Stop GREED Act of 2025
Key claim: The Stop GREED Act of 2025 would bar the VA from paying critical skill incentives to Senior Executive Service and comparable central-office employees, while allowing case-by-case approvals and exemptions for executives who also work at other VA facilities, with annual congressional reporting.
Abstract
(S396 · 119th Congress) Stop Government Rewards Enriching Executives in the District Act of 2025 or the Stop GREED Act of 2025 This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from providing certain senior level employees with a critical skill incentive, which is generally a payment bonus for employees possessing a high-demand skill or skill that is at a shortage. Specifically, the VA may not provide such an incentive to an employee in a Senior Executive Service position or other comparable position at the central office of the VA (e.g., the Veterans Health Administration), regardless of the actual location where the employee performs the functions of the position. The bill also provides that an incentive may be provided to senior-level employees on an individual basis and upon approval by specified officers (e.g., the Under Secretary for Health). Additionally, senior-level employees whose positions are primarily at the central office of the VA but perform some portion of the job function at other VA facilities are exempt from the prohibition. The VA must report to Congress annually regarding senior-level employees who were provided a critical skill incentive. Latest action (2025-02-04): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
Why this matters
The Stop GREED Act reflects continuing congressional scrutiny of VA executive compensation, specifically the use of critical skill incentives at headquarters where recruitment-and-retention rationales are seen as weaker than at clinical facilities. If enacted, it would constrain VA’s discretionary pay tools for senior leadership and add a recurring reporting burden, joining a cluster of FY2025–2026 proposals (e.g., PRO Veterans Act) tightening oversight of VA senior executive pay and budget practices.