We have a sacred responsibility to those who have served our country in uniform. As a daughter, sister, and niece of veterans, I take no responsibility more personally and seriously. When I came to Congress, the very first committee I asked to serve on was the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Both here in Ventura County and at the national level, I have made it my priority to put our nation’s veterans first.

That means helping our servicemembers transition back into civilian life and caring for our veterans by ensuring they all receive timely, high-quality healthcare and benefits they have earned and deserve. It also means tackling veterans homelessness and unemployment and addressing high suicide rates that continue to plague our nation’s heroes.

  • November 2013
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    Brownley Urges Congress To Pass The Vow To Hire Heroes Extension Act

    Today, on the anniversary of the 2011 VOW to Hire Heroes Act, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) urged Congress to continue supporting our veterans by passing the VOW to Hire Heroes Extension Act (H.R. 3395).

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    Brownley Demands Transparency and Accountability in VA Construction Process

    Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village), Ranking Member on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Subcommittee on Health, expressed her frustration at the VA’s inability to provide transparency in their financial tracking process at a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing reviewing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Construction and Leasing Programs.

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  • August 2013
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    Brownley’s Veterans’ Health Care Bill Continues to Move Forward

    Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) included her bill, the Veterans Healthcare Improvement Act, into the Putting Veterans Funding First Act of 2013, which passed through the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee with bipartisan support. Brownley’s bill would guarantee adequate resources for veterans’ health care benefits.

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  • July 2013
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    Brownley Pushes Critical Veterans’ Health Care Measures Forward

    Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) presided over her first bill markup in the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health.  The markup included critical legislation aimed at strengthening veterans’ health care.

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    Brownley Leads Hearing on Military Sexual Trauma Care

    Today, the Subcommittee on Health of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a hearing focused on examining the care and treatment available to survivors of military sexual trauma (MST). The subcommittee also examined the coordination of care and services offered to victims of MST through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD). A photo from today’s hearing is attached.

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  • Veterans advocacy groups throw support behind Julia Brownley’s first bill

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Julia Brownley’s first bill as a member of Congress has run into opposition from the Department of Veterans Affairs but has won the backing of a coalition of veterans’ advocacy groups. A top VA official told a congressional committee on Wednesday the agency does not support Brownley’s push to make permanent a […]

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    Brownley Demands the Best Healthcare for All Veterans

    Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) championed her first bill, the “Veterans Healthcare Improvement Act” (H.R. 806) at a legislative hearing held by the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Her legislation will help guarantee adequate resources for veterans’ healthcare benefits.

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  • Freshman representative makes early mark in Washington

    When US Rep Julia Brownley (D-Thousand Oaks) took the oath of office six months ago, she was excited about becoming a new member of the 113th Congress but also understood the great responsibility she had undertaken. Having served six years in the California Assembly, Brownley was familiar with the legislative process, so the learning curve […]

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  • June 2013
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    Brownley Takes Stand Against Veterans’ Homelessness

    Today, Representative Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) introduced the “Helping Homeless Veterans Act,” legislation to reauthorize homeless veterans programs.

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  • Brownley aims to extend services for homeless veterans

    WASHINGTON — Seven programs that help homeless veterans would remain eligible for federal funding for another year under legislation filed Tuesday by Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Westlake Village. The programs are set to expire at the end of the year unless Congress acts. Brownley’s legislation, the Helping Homeless Veterans Act, would not allocate money for the […]

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    Brownley Organizes Support to Reduce Veterans’ Claims Backlog in California

    Representative Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) spearheaded a bi-partisan letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Benefits, Gen. Alison Hickey, urging the VA to provide matching funds for the State of California’s Joint Claims Initiative.

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    Brownley Helps Veterans Translate Skills Into Jobs

    Today, Representative Julia Brownley’s (D-Westlake Village) bipartisan resolution supporting the Joining Forces Initiative passed the U.S. House of Representatives.

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  • May 2013
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    Brownley Urges President Obama to Act on Veterans’ Claims Backlog Immediately

    Today, Representative Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village), joined colleagues on a bi-partisan letter to President Obama urging his immediate assistance in addressing the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) claims backlog.

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    Brownley Continues Her Fight to Improve Veterans’ Benefits

    Today, Representative Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village), Ranking Member on the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health, held a hearing on legislation to improve veterans’ health benefits and better serve those who served our country.

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  • Julia Brownley Wants to Speed Up Disability Claims Process for Veterans

    WASHINGTON — The huge number of disability claims pending before the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is unacceptable, Rep. Julia Brownley said Thursday, and more must be done to help the agency reach its goal of eliminating the backlog by 2015. “The fact that there are so many claims that are taking well over 125 days is […]

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    Brownley Fights to End VA Backlog for Veterans in Ventura County

    Today, Representative Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village), a Member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, co-sponsored ten bills aimed to address the alarming backlog of claims at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA). The bills outlined below provide the tools necessary for the VA to accomplish its goal of eliminating the backlog by 2015.

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  • March 2013
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    Rep. Brownley and Rep. Michaud Introduce “Veterans Medical Access Act”

    Yesterday, Representative Julia Brownley (CA-26), Ranking Member of the Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, and Representative Mike Michaud (ME-2), Ranking Member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced the “Veterans Medical Access Act” (H.R. 1284), which is intended to provide better access for blind and severely disabled veterans to the health care they need.

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    Brownley Leads First Subcommittee Hearing, Advocates for Veterans’ Health Services

    Today, Representative Julia Brownley led her first subcommittee hearing as the Ranking Member of the Health Subcommittee of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, where she called for the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) to improve the services they offer to veterans.

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