At Subcommittee Markup, Democrats Highlight How Republican Funding Bill Fails to Meet the Needs of Veterans, Servicemembers, and Their Families

WASHINGTON — During this morning’s House Appropriations Subcommittee markup of the 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, House Democrats highlighted how the bill fails to fully meet veterans’ needs and falls short of adequately funding military construction projects.

This bill:

• Worsens the quality of life for servicemembers and their families and hurts military readiness by funding military construction $904 million below what is needed.
• Enacts the Project 2025 goal to privatize medical care for veterans by transferring billions to private hospitals and clinics, which will only lead to higher costs, longer wait times, poor communication and coordination, and diminished quality of care.
• Further limits women’s access to abortion, harming women veterans’ health.
• Leaves military installations, servicemembers, and their families vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and worsening natural disasters by failing to include dedicated funding to strengthen military installations against these threats.
• Does not fulfill the United States’ commitments to our allies by providing $188 million less than what is needed for NATO infrastructure.
• Undermines the ability to keep guns out of the hands of those prohibited under Federal law from purchasing or possessing firearms.
• Repeats the same extreme House Republican tactics attempted last year by including partisan changes to existing law, known as “riders,” that hurt Americans and create chaos. Once again, Republicans are disenfranchising veterans rather than making VA a welcoming and inclusive place for all those who volunteer to serve our country.

From Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s (D-FL-25) opening remarks:

“While I know the Chairman worked hard to produce a work product under difficult, and as he said, nontraditional circumstances, unfortunately, this year, I do have serious concerns about the bill before us today, and I will not be able to give the bill my support. First, this bill is hurtling us down the path toward VA privatization, straight out of the Project 2025 playbook… Additionally, this bill fails to hold the Administration accountable for its chaotic and illegal actions over the last few months. There are currently no provisions in this bill that require VA Secretary Collins to be held accountable for the mass illegal firings of dedicated VA employees, including employees that staff the veterans crisis line… Without knowing the allocations for all 12 subcommittees, we have no idea how certain programs like financial aid at the Department of Education, and housing assistance at HUD, will ultimately fare in these bills. Given the Republican track record on their lack of support for funding beyond defense, I can only assume that vital programs veterans rely on outside this bill will be axed…With all these serious concerns, I cannot in good conscience support this bill.”

From Appropriations Committee Ranking Rosa DeLauro’s (D-CT-03) opening remarks:

“The bill before this subcommittee today will enact a key Project 2025 proposal by transferring billions of taxpayer dollars to private hospitals and clinics, leading to longer wait times, poor communication and coordination, diminished quality of care for veterans, and higher costs for taxpayers. This bill would worsen quality of life for servicemembers and their families while putting veteran safety at risk… The majority may suggest that they are supporting our veterans’ needs with this bill alone, but we all know that it does not contain all the programs the most vulnerable veterans depend on. Programs and services from food assistance to education to health research, which this Administration has illegally frozen and dismantled, and which their budget decimates funding for, support veterans around the country. Losing that support will mean abandoning our responsibilities and our promises to our nation’s veterans. I cannot support this bill. But it is my deepest hope we can improve this bill to support our veterans, our servicemembers, and to support workers and families.”

A summary of the bill is here. A fact sheet of the bill is here. The full text of the bill is here.

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