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Issue record

Military and veterans

In short

Davis's campaign backs better VA care and faster benefits. Buckhout's campaign would invest in the military to deter China, Iran and Russia; Bailey's lists no position on the pages checked. On the record, parts of Davis's VA caregiver bill became law in 2025 inside a larger act. SEC filings show Buckhout founded and sold a defense firm; her 2025 testimony says she performed the duties of the Pentagon's top cyber policy official.

Campaign positions

What each campaign says.

Don Davis

Would improve veterans' health care, cut delays in benefits, support military families and strengthen VA services.

Laurie Buckhout

Would invest in the military to deter China, Iran and Russia and defend allies like Israel, and fight for veterans' care.

Tom Bailey

No position the desk could check. His survey answers mention his own Army service but no military or veterans policy. He has no campaign website, and his campaign Facebook page could not be checked for this desk.

Evidence timeline

What the record shows.

  1. official action

    Don Davis: Matches stated record claim

    He co-led veterans bills with Republicans, parts of one became law in 2025, and he cosponsored and voted for a Republican-led Social Security bill that became law.

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    His campaign says he has worked across the aisle to support veterans and protect Social Security. He wrote the CARE Act on the VA's family caregiver program with Republicans Jennifer Kiggans and Juan Ciscomani as co-leads. Three of its changes, on explaining eligibility, reassessments and a yearly report, became law in January 2025 as section 125 of the Elizabeth Dole veterans act, which he voted for. His VERY Act, also co-led by Ciscomani, passed the House by voice vote in 2024 and 2025. He cosponsored Republican Garret Graves's Social Security Fairness Act and voted for it; it became law in January 2025. Limit: The CARE Act never got its own vote, its wording changed on the way into the larger law, and some of its parts were left out. The VERY Act has not passed the Senate. The Social Security bill had 330 cosponsors from both parties. The health care, jobs, infrastructure and schools part of the sentence was not tested.

  2. official action

    Laurie Buckhout: Matches stated direction

    SEC filings say she founded Corvus Consulting Group in 2012, led it as CEO, and sold it to Castellum in 2019 for $9.6 million.

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    Her campaign says she founded and grew a successful cyber and defense business after the Army. Castellum, Inc.'s SEC filings say she founded Corvus Consulting Group in February 2012 and was its CEO until Castellum bought it on November 21, 2019. Corvus works in cyberspace operations, electronic warfare and intelligence for defense clients. Castellum bought it from her trust for $9.6 million in total. The same filing says she worked for two defense firms after the Army and before founding Corvus. Limit: The filings confirm she founded the business and sold it. They do not show how many people it hired or how many were veterans.

  3. official action

    Laurie Buckhout: Matches stated direction

    Her May 2025 testimony says deputy assistant secretary performing the assistant secretary's duties while a nominee awaited confirmation, rather than acting. Her end date is unestablished.

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    Full detail

    Her campaign says she served in the Trump administration as Acting Assistant Secretary of War for Cyber Policy. Her May 16, 2025 testimony to the House Armed Services Committee is filed under the title "Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy". In it she says she serves as the deputy assistant secretary and performs the duties of the assistant secretary, and that the President has nominated Katherine Sutton for that job. Limit: The record says "performing the duties of", not "acting"; federal vacancy rules treat these as different designations. The campaign uses the department's newer name, Department of War. The day her stand-in role ended is not in a record the desk could check.

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Sources18 source records

How we use sources

  1. Eastern North Carolina Firsthttps://www.votedondavis.com/delivering-new-page

    Don Davis for NC · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    His six priority sections: cost of living, jobs, education, rural infrastructure, military and veterans, and a practical approach. The text sits in collapsed panels on the page.

    candidate statement

    For: Don Davis: campaign position

  2. Issueshttps://www.lauriebuckhoutforcongress.com/issues

    Laurie Buckhout for Congress · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Eight sections: economy, border, farmers and fishermen, the Second Amendment, the military, veterans, technology and AI, digital assets. One sentence about Democrats in general is not checked.

    candidate statement

    For: Laurie Buckhout: campaign position

  3. Tom Bailey (North Carolina)https://ballotpedia.org/Tom_Bailey_(North_Carolina)

    Ballotpedia · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Carries his own answers to Ballotpedia's 2026 candidate survey, submitted February 15, 2026. Lists a campaign Facebook page (tombaileyforushouse) and no campaign website. Used only for his own words. The Facebook page loads only up to a login wall.

    candidate statement

    For: Tom Bailey: campaign position

  4. COMMITTEE TO ELECT TOM BAILEY (C00686212)https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00686212/

    Federal Election Commission · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Bailey's only FEC committee. It filed for the 2018 cycle and lists tombaileyushousenc.com, which did not resolve on October 1, 2026.

    fec filing

    For: Tom Bailey: campaign position

  5. About the candidatehttps://www.votedondavis.com/about

    Don Davis for NC · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    His biography and the claims about his record: Air Force service, six Senate terms, 90 pieces of legislation, work across the aisle.

    candidate statement

    For: Don Davis: Matches stated record claim

  6. H.R. 4518 (118th), CARE Act of 2023https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/4518

    Congress.gov · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Veteran Caregiver Application and Appeals Reform Act. Sponsor Davis; original cosponsors Republicans Jennifer Kiggans (VA) and Juan Ciscomani (AZ); 13 cosponsors in all, 9 of them Republicans. The bill itself stopped in subcommittee.

    official legislative record

    For: Don Davis: Matches stated record claim

  7. H.R. 4518, introducedhttps://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/BILLS-118hr4518ih

    U.S. Government Publishing Office · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Would require the VA's family caregiver program to tell applicants every eligibility criterion used, cover reassessments in its appeals rule, and report each year on applications, approvals, denials, reassessments and appeals.

    official legislative record

    For: Don Davis: Matches stated record claim

  8. Public Law 118-210, Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Acthttps://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/PLAW-118publ210

    U.S. Government Publishing Office · Published Jan 2, 2025 · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Enacted from S. 141 on January 2, 2025. Section 125 makes three of the CARE Act's changes to 38 U.S.C. 1720G(a), lightly reworded: the eligibility-criteria clause in (12)(A), reassessments in (12)(C)(i), and the annual report. The CARE Act's medical-specialists clause is not in the law.

    official legislative record

    For: Don Davis: Matches stated record claim

  9. Roll Call 504, S. 141, December 16, 2024 (document)

    Clerk of the U.S. House · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Motion to suspend the rules and pass, 382-12. Davis: Yea. Read from Congress.gov's house-vote record of the same roll call (118th Congress, session 2, vote 504); the Clerk's file returned HTTP 403 to the desk's script on October 1, 2026.

    official legislative record

    For: Don Davis: Matches stated record claim

  10. H.R. 2625 (119th), VERY Act of 2025https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2625

    Congress.gov · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Sponsor Davis; original cosponsor Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ). Passed the House by voice vote July 21, 2025; in the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.

    official legislative record

    For: Don Davis: Matches stated record claim

  11. H.R. 2625, engrossed in Househttps://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/BILLS-119hr2625eh

    U.S. Government Publishing Office · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    The bill replaces "employment handicap" with "employment barrier" throughout title 38. Passed the House July 21, 2025.

    official legislative record

    For: Don Davis: Matches stated record claim

  12. H.R. 7653 (118th), VERY Act of 2024https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7653

    Congress.gov · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Davis's earlier version. Passed the House by voice vote November 18, 2024; died in the Senate.

    official legislative record

    For: Don Davis: Matches stated record claim

  13. H.R. 82 (118th), Social Security Fairness Act of 2023https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/82

    Congress.gov · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Sponsor Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA). Davis cosponsored on February 24, 2023. Became Public Law 118-273 on January 5, 2025.

    official legislative record

    For: Don Davis: Matches stated record claim

  14. Roll Call 456, H.R. 82, November 12, 2024 (document)

    Clerk of the U.S. House · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Motion to suspend the rules and pass, 327-75. Davis: Yea.

    official legislative record

    For: Don Davis: Matches stated record claim

  15. Abouthttps://www.lauriebuckhoutforcongress.com/about

    Laurie Buckhout for Congress · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Her biography and the claims about her own record: Army service, her defense business, and her Pentagon cyber post.

    candidate statement

    For: Laurie Buckhout: Matches stated direction

  16. Castellum, Inc. prospectus (Form 424B4), October 14, 2022https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1877939/000157587222000981/lb036_424b4.htm

    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · Published Oct 14, 2022 · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Says she was founder, director and CEO of Corvus Consulting Group from February 2012 to November 2019, when Castellum bought it from a trust she controls for total consideration of $9,587,279; she then became Castellum's chief revenue officer and a director. Also says she served 26 years in the Army, retiring as a colonel, with two combat tours in Iraq, and worked for two defense firms before founding Corvus. SEC pages need a declared user agent; the verifier reads the SEC's own full-text search instead.

    official office record

    For: Laurie Buckhout: Matches stated direction

  17. Castellum, Inc. annual report (Form 10-K) for 2023https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1877939/000187793924000018/ctm-20231231.htm

    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · Published Mar 21, 2024 · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Dates the Corvus purchase to November 21, 2019 and describes Corvus's work: cyberspace operations, electronic warfare, information operations and intelligence for defense clients.

    official office record

    For: Laurie Buckhout: Matches stated direction

  18. Statement of Ms. Laurie Buckhout, Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, May 16, 2025 (document)

    House Armed Services Committee · Published May 16, 2025 · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Her written testimony to the Cyber, IT and Innovation subcommittee. She says she serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy and performs the duties of the Assistant Secretary, and that the President had nominated Katherine Sutton for that post. PDF dated May 13, 2025.

    official office record

    For: Laurie Buckhout: Matches stated direction