Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz Statement at the Subcommittee Markup of the 2025 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Bill

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23), Ranking Member of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the Subcommittee's markup of the 2025 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Bill:

Thank you, Chairman Carter, for yielding.

This subcommittee has had a longstanding tradition of bipartisanship.

I have often said that you can switch between Judge Carter and myself chairing this subcommittee and you will basically see the same bill.

We do not agree on everything, but we agree on the important priorities for the quality of life for our military and caring for our veterans.

With that said, I had hoped last year's extremely partisan House bill would be an anomaly – that reaching an agreement in conference for fiscal year 2024 would set us on a path for a more agreeable process this year.

Unfortunately, that is not the case, and I sadly cannot support this bill.

This bill is built on a framework that walks away from the bipartisan Fiscal Responsibility Act again.

Last year, the ink was barely dry on the Fiscal Responsibility Act, and Republicans essentially tore up the agreement, marking up bills at dramatically lower levels – to the point that even the Republican majority couldn't even get them off the floor.

And somehow, we find ourselves in the same position with 302(b) allocations released last week that once again break the bipartisan FRA agreement, which was the basis for the bills we passed just a couple of months ago.

While the FY25 MilCon-VA bill doesn't face cuts as dramatic as other bills, veterans and servicemembers and their families rely on programs throughout the federal government.

The Fiscal Responsibility Act already only allows for a one percent increase this year, and Republicans are insisting on even more dramatic cuts.

They are leaving $75 billion on the table that we should be using for nondefense discretionary programs, consistent with the one percent increase over last year's agreement.

On the military construction side, this bill cuts funding for servicemembers and their families by $718 million compared to the enacted level – compared to current services.

We have a recruitment and retention problem, and Republicans are cutting funding for military construction.

We have a major quality of life problem for our servicemembers and their families, and Republicans are cutting funding for military construction.

We are in a climate crisis, and Republicans are cutting dedicated funding for resiliency.

Look no further than Guam – after Typhoon Mawar ripped through the island, there is over $49 billion in military construction needed to fix and rebuild facilities, and that is only a single storm, and will take the Services years to recover from.

Typhoon Mawar shows why resiliency dollars now are a good investment to prevent much more costly repairs and rebuilding in the future.

We need to be prioritizing hardening our infrastructure to better protect our investments from the more frequent and dangerous natural events.

While this bill does some good things – and I appreciate Chairman Carter including increased funding for the oversight of family housing and dedicated funding for PFAS remediation and cleanup, there is more we need to do for our servicemembers and their families, and that starts with building on current services, not cutting back.

On the VA side, this bill includes a plethora of harmful poison pill riders.

Why we have to go through this song and dance again when they were rejected in conference last year, is stunning to me.

This bill once again prohibits the VA from implementing its interim final rule to provide abortions and abortion counseling.

I will say though, that VA implemented its final rule in March, but the message Republicans are sending is clear – Republicans want to limit women's access to abortions.

Never mind if an abortion is in the best medical interest of the veteran – Republicans think you have to be dying in order to get one. They want the government making personal medical decisions for veterans, not their doctor or the veteran themselves.

This bill undermines VA's ability to report a beneficiary to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System to keep guns out of the hands of those who are prohibited under Federal law from purchasing or possessing firearms. It is prohibiting VA from following the law that is intended to protect veterans.

Furthermore, this bill seeks to disenfranchise veterans by seeking to eliminate the Pride flag, prohibiting gender-affirming care procedures or hormone therapies, allowing a license to discriminate against LGBTQI+ people, prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion training, and cutting funding for the Office of Resolution Management, Diversity and Inclusion.

These culture war riders were rejected in conference negotiations last year, and we know that they will be rejected again this year in order for us to reach a final agreement.

I cannot in good conscience support this bill, and it saddens me.

The subcommittee has a long-standing tradition of bipartisanship, and I truly value my friendship with Chairman Carter.

I hope that we can work together in good faith going forward to take care of our veterans, servicemembers, and their families in the way they deserve. This bill, sadly, does not achieve that.

Thank you, and I yield back.