Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

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Madam Chairman, I am so grateful for this opportunity to stand here today in support of H.R. 2029, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.

This bill undeniably provides much-needed funding for both our veterans programs and military projects, while staying within the strict limits of our House-passed budget resolution.

I am especially proud because there is funding that we were able to secure in this bill for the folks in Alabama, right at home, including new school construction both at Fort Rucker, the home of Army aviation excellence, and $33 million for new school construction at Maxwell Air Force Base, much-needed dollars for our military families at this post and this base, and also funding for a new squadron operations facility at Dannelly Field.

These are all extremely important to our critical military functions in Alabama. Anybody who has been on post at Rucker or at the base at Maxwell knows that these schools are in disrepair and are in need of replacing.

Our military families deserve quality on-base facilities, and these projects are going to go a long way to help improve their quality of life right there in Alabama.

I want to address, though, what I was struck with--and everyone else in this institution--when I woke up this morning, Madam Chair. I was extremely disappointed, alongside my colleagues, to see that the President, yet again, has threatened to veto this bill.

This bill provides critical, much-needed funding for our military families and our veterans, and the President should not play around with that.

Under this administration we have failed our veterans miserably. And only in Washington, D.C., when you see an increase of $3.6 billion for our VA to provide these critical needs for our men and women who have worn the uniform and put their lives on the line for the freedom and liberty that allow us to stand in this room today, only in Washington, D.C., will a $3.6 billion increase on behalf of our veterans be called a cut.

You know why, Madam Chair?

It is being called a cut because it is the only way to shift the blame away from this administration's failure to our veterans back to the Republican-led House. It is clearly politics that is driving us, and I am asking, Madam Chair, that the President seriously rethink his position.

The administration needs to take responsibility, and they are trying, once again, to point fingers at leadership in this House that is doing all that we can to ensure that our veterans get timely care and the best care that we can provide them. This is cynical, and it is shameful, and I believe--I believe--that the American people can see straight through it.

So I hope, again, Madam Chair, that the President will reconsider this position because there is no place--no place--here in this bill for political gamesmanship when it comes to our military families and our veterans.

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