WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year 2013 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill. The legislation totals $71.7 billion in discretionary funding, which holds funding at the fiscal year 2012 level.
The bill provides the nation’s military with the infrastructure needed to house and train military personnel, provides for the quality of life of our troops and their families, and maintains our strong military base structure. It also funds veterans’ benefits and programs to ensure that all veterans receive the services they need and deserve.
Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Subcommittee Chairman John Culberson issued the following statement:
“The first duty of government is to protect our nation. It is Congress’ responsibility to ensure that the most urgent needs of our active duty military personnel and our nation’s veterans are met. However, we are facing a financial crisis that cannot be ignored. We were able to increase funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs by $2.3 billion more than fiscal year 2012, and Military Construction has been reduced by $2.4 billion without increasing the overall spending level from last year. This bill recognizes the absolute urgency of cutting government spending without compromising the high quality services provided to our troops, their families, and our veterans.”
For the text of the FY 2013 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill and report, please visit:
http://appropriations.house.gov/UploadedFiles/BILLS-112HR-SC-AP-FY13-MilConVA.pdf
http://appropriations.house.gov/UploadedFiles/MILCON-FY13-FULLCOMMITTEEREPORT.pdf
For a summary of the bill, please click here.
