House Committee Advances Military Construction, Veterans Affairs Spending Bill

The House Appropriations Committee advanced a bill on May 23 to fund military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and related agencies. The measure, commonly known as MilCon-VA, has a top line of more than $129.56 billion, $5.69 billion less than what was allocated this year. It was the first bill advanced by the committee. The final tally was 34 to 25. The bill funds veterans’ health care programs and benefits, in addition to VA programs. It also includes $2 billion for military family housing and $1 billion allocated towards initiatives in the Pacific, including funding for Guam and dedicated funding for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the U.S. military focus in the region amid the threat from China....