The American Prospect

With the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, Republicans are reprising the role they played during the lead-up to the PACT Act, the long-overdue bill providing needed care and benefits for veterans who’d suffered from toxic exposures. In cynical fashion, they are now championing a bill they originally opposed, disguising their effort to fulfill the Project 2025 intention to dismantle the VA health care system and reduce veterans’ benefits.

Another Bait and Switch on VA Care - The American Prospect Under cover of delivering rightful benefits to veterans, a new Republican-backed bill in Congress takes them away.

A $69 billion merger between two real estate behemoths is set to create the largest publicly traded apartment landlord in U.S. history, dramatically expanding the market power of two firms that have been sued repeatedly over alleged tenant abuses and illegal price-fixing.

Together, real estate investment trusts (REITs) AvalonBay Communities and Equity Residential own more than 180,000 apartments nationwide, with another 20,000 under development. Were these two companies banks or broadcast networks or grocery stores, their merger would face mandatory review by federal regulators. But long-standing loopholes exempt real estate mergers from antitrust scrutiny—even as concerns mount about the consolidation of housing in the hands of large investors.

Real Estate Merger Poised to Create Several Local Apartment Monopolies - The American Prospect A combination between AvalonBay and Equity Residential would put close to 200,000 apartments in the hands of one company.