House Democrats Highlight How Republican MilCon-VA Funding Bill Falls Short

WASHINGTON — During today’s House Appropriations Committee markup of the 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, House Democrats highlighted how Republicans cannot credibly claim to fully fund veterans’ programs until they have shown us how they treat veterans in the rest of the domestic funding bills they plan to cut by as much as 60 percent.

Republicans amended the bill to correct some of their recent initiatives that would harm veterans, including the immediate rescission of $2 billion for veterans medical care in the Republicans’ Default on America Act and were shamed out of their dramatic cuts to the Toxic Exposures Fund, which was created to ensure veterans of all wars exposed to Agent Orange, burn pits, and other toxic substances would be cared for in the initial mark of their 2024 funding bill. Despite these changes, the bill still falls short, and paired with the topline allocations they released late last night, Republicans are still failing our veterans. House Democrats were united in their opposition, voting unanimously against the bill.

This bill, as amended:

• Cuts funding for critical military construction and backtracks on our promises to our servicemembers and their families by cutting military construction by over $1.5 billion compared to the current level.
• Is built on reneging on the bipartisan budget agreement less than two weeks after it was enacted.
• Includes partisan changes to existing law, known as “riders,” that have no chance of becoming law.

“The Fiscal Responsibility Act agreed to and passed with bipartisan support not only prevented an economic catastrophe for all Americans, it also fulfilled a solemn, bipartisan promise we made to our veterans and servicemembers. That agreement occurred because Democrats demanded that we uphold the bipartisan pledge we made in the PACT Act to care for and protect those exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances, Democrats secured the guaranteed funding in the Toxic Exposures Fund in the agreement, overriding Republicans’ efforts to slash the Fund in the MilCon-VA bill,” Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23) said. “However, late last night, the Republicans announced they will undermine this agreement by drastically cutting the FY24 topline back to FY22 funding levels. The bill we are considering today backslides in critical areas and reverses vital progress, like shortchanging dedicated funding for PFAS cleanup, eliminating dedicated climate and military base resiliency efforts, and rejecting critical VA infrastructure funding. It also cuts military construction funding from the current level by $1.5 billion as we grapple with recruitment and retention issues, and it flouts our subcommittee’s bipartisan spirit, by failing to equitably fund member community project funding requests, as Democrats did when we were in the majority. Worse, other funding bills that our veterans rely upon, for housing, food assistance, and jobs training for instance, will be slashed and face drastic Republican cuts. Democrats will continue to fight to protect our veterans and servicemembers in a bipartisan manner, but this and other funding bills demand too much sacrifice from those who have or will continue to serve. And that’s a promise Democrats will not break.”

Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz’s opening remarks as prepared for delivery are here.

“I fought hard to ensure the deal brokered by President Biden and Speaker McCarthy prevented House Republicans from carrying out their initial plan to cut the fund created to care for veterans of all wars exposed to Agent Orange, burn pits, and other toxic substances. Despite now having a law that fully funds the Toxic Exposures Fund and sets overall funding levels, today’s markup and last night’s news of sweeping harmful cuts are proof that the hard work of protecting and caring for our veterans, servicemembers, and their families is not over,” Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) said. “This bill cuts military construction funding and includes harmful policy provisions that have no chance of becoming law. Additionally, Republicans cannot credibly claim to fully fund veterans’ programs until they have shown us how they treat veterans in the rest of the domestic funding bills that they are cutting by as much as 30 percent. By failing to write bills that follow the law, Republicans’ cuts reach deeper into other agencies’ programs like housing and job training services veterans rely on. I hope House Republicans rethink this meaningless messaging exercise and decide to get to work on bills that stand a chance of becoming law.”

Congresswoman DeLauro’s opening remarks as prepared for delivery are here.

Key provisions of the bill as passed by the full committee:

Department of Defense – The bill provides $17.5 billion for Military Construction, which is $1.5 billion below the 2023 level and $200 million below the level marked up in subcommittee.

• The bill provides $539 billion for the Department of Defense Base Closure Account (BRAC), which is a cut of $35.5 million compared to the current level and does not include dedicated funding for PFAS remediation and cleanup.
• The bill does not include additional, dedicated funding for military installation climate change and resilience projects, which is a cut of $90 million from the current level.
• The bill provides $30 million above the budget request in dedicated funding for the oversight of housing, including over the privatized housing providers, secured by Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz in the Managers’ amendment.

Department of Veterans Affairs – The bill provides $121 billion for the four medical care accounts. Combined with the $17.1 billion provided for medical care through the Toxic Exposures Fund in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (P.L. 118–5), a total of $138 billion is available for medical care in 2024, equal to the budget request.

• The bill further provides $112.6 billion in advance appropriations for medical care. Combined with the $21.5 billion provided in advance for 2025 for medical care through the Toxic Exposures Fund in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, a total of $134 billion will be available for medical care in 2025, equal to the budget request.

The bill includes partisan riders:

• Prohibits the use of funds to teach or promote Critical Race Theory.
• Prohibits the use of funds to implement executive orders related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Prohibits the use of funds for diversity, equity, and inclusion training or implementation.
• Prohibits the use of funds to carry out the closure or realignment of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or to house detainees at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
• Prohibits VA from implementing the interim final rule on abortions with limited exceptions.
• Limits the ability to fly flags at VA facilities, aiming to eliminate the use of Pride flags.
• Prohibits surgical procedures or hormone therapies for gender-affirming care.
• Prohibits the use of funds to discriminate against people who have the religious belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

The text of the bill, before the adoption of amendments in full Committee, is here. The bill report, before the adoption of amendments in full Committee, is here. Information on Community Project Funding in the bill is here.