Ranking Member DeLauro Statement at the Full Committee Markup of the Fiscal Year 2025 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Funding Bill

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, delivered the following remarks at the Committee's markup of the fiscal year 2025 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies bill:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman for yielding, and to Chairman Carter.

Before we begin, I want to thank all of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee staff on both sides of the aisle for their work, particularly Jenny Neuscheler and Tyler Coe. After nearly ten years on the committee, Jenny is departing at the end of the month. Every day, she has brought her unmatched work ethic, knowledge, passion, and commitment to her job, ensuring the subcommittee carries out its mission for America's veterans, and she has done it with a wonderful smile and tremendous personality.

I am sad to be losing her, but she has left an indelible mark on this committee and on appropriations bills for this subcommittee as well as Transportation and Housing and Urban Development. And, I do hope this means she has a little bit more time to spend with her young son, Charlie. Thank you, Jenny, for everything you have done and your public service to Congress and the Nation.

Now, onto the bill before the committee today.

As we discussed this morning, Republicans are heading down an already well-trodden path towards chaos, division, and shutdown threats. Like last year, we are beginning this process with topline funding levels that fall short of what the American people need and are short of what both parties have agreed to, taking at least $75 million in investments for American families off the table.

And, once again, the majority appears to be loading up appropriations bills with harmful policies that have little to do with responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, but needlessly divide the country, divide the Congress, and harm Americans, and will go nowhere – as we experienced in 2024.

Like last year, final 2025 spending bills will be the product of negotiations between Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate. And we can either do that now, or we can squander another summer on bills that will never see the light of day.

The bill before us today would hurt our veterans and military readiness, and worsen quality of life for servicemembers and their families.

It leaves our military construction, servicemembers, veterans, and their families vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and worsening natural disasters. And it harms women and moves us closer to a national ban on abortion.

This bill disarms our military in the face of the climate crisis. It fails to include any dedicated funding for resilience projects to help protect our bases and installations from rising sea levels and extreme weather.

Do not just take my word for it! Look at the bill. Last year, we provided $30 million in targeted funding to improve the resiliency of our military installations against sea-level rise, flooding, and extreme weather events to improve military readiness and protect our servicemembers. This year's bill provides $0. Nothing.

And, the bill walks back investments made in natural disaster recovery funds to help our military recover from ever-worsening disasters. Last year's bill provided $150 million to help Tyndall Air Force Base build back from Hurricane Michael.

This year's bill cuts this still needed investment by $50 million, meaning it will take much longer to build back.

Failing to allow our military to confront the threats posed by a rapidly changing climate puts our servicemembers in harm's way, and hurts America's military readiness and our national security.

Military leaders, including under former President Trump, have warned of the dangers that climate change poses to our military. Former Secretary Mattis warned that climate change threatened American interests and the Department of Defense's assets around the world, and said climate change is, quote, "a challenge that requires a broader, whole-of government response."

This bill endangers veterans, and recklessly undermines the ability to keep guns out of the hands of those prohibited under Federal law from purchasing or possessing firearms.

VA is now out of compliance with Federal law, which prohibits firearm access for anyone deemed incapable of handling their own financial affairs due to a mental condition. This decades-old legislation was put in place to protect people from harming themselves and others.

And finally, this bill is a direct attack on women veterans – who are the fastest growing demographic served by the Department of Veterans Affairs, tripling from 160,000 in 2001 to more than 600,000 last year – with a policy rider that limits abortion access and prohibits abortion counseling.

The women who volunteered to serve and defend our nation – to protect our country's most sacrosanct rights and freedoms – should not come home to find their medical care and family planning decisions being made by anyone other than themselves, their families, and their doctors.

This is just one more way in which Republicans are prioritizing pushing our country towards a national abortion ban above everything else. We will defeat every one of their anti-choice riders, just as we did last year.

The majority may want to suggest that they are supporting our veterans' needs, but we all know that this bill alone does not contain all the programs the most vulnerable veterans depend on.

The cuts the majority is seeking across the other funding bills will harm and neglect many of the heroes who bravely defended this nation.

At least 1.2 million veterans rely on food stamps for nutrition assistance. Tens of thousands veterans rely on housing vouchers.

Thousands of veterans utilize job training programs to reenter civilian life. All of these programs and many others may face severe cuts if we move forward with the funding levels proposed by the majority.

So do not tell me that Republicans are fully funding veterans' programs. The larger Republican agenda does nothing to protect veterans from their proposed cuts.

I cannot support this bill. And I hope my colleagues in the majority will reconsider their strategy, and join us at the table to support our veterans, our servicemembers, and to support workers and families. Above all, it is time to govern.

Thank you, and I yield back.

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