HYDE-SMITH VOTES TO SEND PRESIDENT A BILL WITH ADDED FUNDING FOR VETERANS CARE & BENEFITS
Senate Completes Action on FY2019 Military Construction-VA Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today voted to send President Trump a funding bill that will provide record-setting funding levels for veterans care, including an additional $1.25 billion to implement the VA MISSION Act.
The Senate voted 92-5 to give final approval to a three-bill appropriations package (HR.5895), which includes the FY2019 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Bill.
“This measure takes a major step toward fulfilling our commitment to make it easier for veterans and their families to access the care they earned as part of their service to our nation,” Hyde-Smith said. “The VA MISSION Act is one of the first bills I was fortunate enough to support and see enacted into law. It is gratifying to see that funding to back it up is not being delayed.”
Overall, the bill provides $97.1 billion to support veterans’ health care and benefits, address claims backlogs, modernize the VA records system, and increase mental health services. Medical and prosthetic research is also funded.
Important to Mississippi, the bill provides $64.3 million for the Armed Services Retirement Home, which operates facilities in Gulfport and Washington, D.C.
In addition, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg will benefit from a $10 million increase in military construction funding secured by Hyde-Smith to support the U.S. Army’s laboratory revitalization program. Overall, $82.0 million is available to make improvements to the Army’s laboratory system.
HR.5895 requires House passage before it can be sent to the President to be signed into law.
In addition to the MilCon-VA provisions, this appropriations package includes the FY2019 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill and the FY2019 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill.
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