The House Appropriations Committee today released the fiscal year 2015 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, which will be considered in subcommittee tomorrow. The legislation contains funding to house, train, and equip military personnel, provide housing and services to military families, and help maintain base infrastructure. The bill also funds veterans' benefits and programs.
In total, the legislation provides $71.5 billion in discretionary funding -- a cut of $1.8 billion below the fiscal year 2014 level. This reduction will not negatively affect projects or services on which our troops and veterans rely. Instead, the bill provides less funding than the previous year for military construction, largely due to a lack of new need for such projects, while increasing funding for veterans programs by $1.5 billion.
Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers made the following statement on the legislation:
"Our number one priority with this bill is to ensure that our troops and veterans receive the resources they need and deserve. This legislation will do just that -- providing funds for critical infrastructure for our troops, services for military families, and to bolster veterans' programs to keep our commitment to those who have served and sacrificed for this country," Chairman Rogers said. "At the same time, we've made responsible decisions to reduce funding where it is no longer needed, to be more efficient with the people's money and to save tax dollars where we can."
Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Subcommittee Chairman John Culberson also commented on his bill:
"We have immense responsibilities in our subcommittee, and I can think of nothing more important than ensuring the peace of mind and quality of life for our veterans and active-duty military. These are tough budgetary times, but providing for our men and women in uniform is a duty that we simply cannot neglect. With this bill, we've once again been able to protect the high-quality support and services provided to our troops, our veterans, and their families," Chairman Culberson said.