Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4366, a bill that will provide funding for military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
During the last Congress, three trillion dollars was spent outside of the normal appropriations process. As spending soared, so did inflation.
There was damage done to the economy, and the work of the Appropriations Committee changed significantly over those two years.
That is why earlier this year, I asked Subcommittee Chairs to evaluate all of the funding in the pipeline.
When the President’s budget finally arrived, I directed them to review each agency’s budget - line-by-line.
I want to thank the Subcommittee Chairs for their work to identify ways to save hard-earned tax dollars.
These savings have allowed us to reduce overall spending without short-changing what is most important - national defense, homeland security, and veterans.
The bill before us demonstrates our commitment to reduce overall spending and still honor our commitment to our veterans.
This bill makes good on that promise by fully funding veterans’ health care.
It will ensure our veterans get the medical treatment and benefits they deserve.
Specifically, the bill prioritizes our nation’s heroes by:
* Providing critical funding for military bases and facilities;
* Improving the quality of life for our service members and their families;
* And ensuring our veterans are appropriately honored in our cemeteries and battle monuments.
The bill also prohibits funding to be used for biased and controversial programs.
I want to close by thanking the Members and staff on both sides of the aisle for their hard work.
This is a strong bill, and I look forward to supporting it.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield the balance of my time.
Source: U.S. Department of HCA