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Carter's Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill Passes House

Washington, July 27, 2023
(Washington, DC)- Chairman John Carter (TX-31) released the following statement after the House passed his Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill 219-211. 
 
"This bill is a culmination of months of intense work and negotiation. The final product is a solid conservative bill that keeps America's promise to our veterans, invests in deterrence against hostile actors like the Chinese Communist Party, and prioritizes quality-of-life projects for our service members and their families.
 
"With this bill, we are fulfilling the commitment we made to those who bravely served. I want to make this abundantly clear, this bill fully funds veterans' health care and benefits. We made a promise to America's veterans, and with this legislation, we are fulfilling it. 
 
"While President Biden wanted to undercut military construction, as chairman, I prioritized it to deter China's aggression and improve the quality of life for service members. By providing $800 million over President Biden's budget for military construction, this bill places emphasis on the Pacific theater so that America projects strength and prevents additional hostility from the Chinese Communist Party. It also invests in high-quality housing and childcare centers that meet military families' needs. Ensuring military families have the resources they deserve means a stronger military.
 
"As chairman, my goal with this legislation was to take care of America's heroes while being a good steward of taxpayers' hard-earned dollars. That means this bill includes stronger oversight of Electronic Health Record Modernization to ensure that our investments yield measurable results. This bill also sheds President Biden's woke priorities like DEI and critical race theory initiatives and maintains provisions to prevent taxpayers from paying for abortions and gender reassignment surgeries through the VA.
 
"As the first appropriations bill out of the gate this year, I'm very proud of the legislation. I want to thank Chairwoman Granger for her leadership throughout this appropriations season."  
 
This bill: 
  • Fully funds veterans' health care, benefits, and VA programs. 
  • Provides $3.1 billion for homeless veterans' programs. 
  • Provides $16.5 billion for mental health and $42 million for VA's National Center for PTSD.
  • Strengthens deterrence efforts in the Pacific to support a robust national security
  • $1.425 billion for infrastructure related to the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and $131 million for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
  • Invests in service member quality of life projects. 
  • $362.3 million for barracks so our troops have safe housing.
  • $293.8 million for child development centers to help support military families. 
  • Maintains provisions prohibiting the closure of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the use of military construction funds to build a facility to house detainees on U.S. soil. 
  • Prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs from lobbying Congress after the VA released a false narrative on nonexistent cuts to veterans' benefits and health care. 

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