U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA), chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs (VA) and Related Agencies said on Wednesday that the fiscal year 2016 spending bill that his committee has advanced would serve veterans and taxpayers equally well.
“We make sure that our veteran health care system has the funding needed to keep our promise to care for those who have sacrificed in defense of this great nation,” Dent said. “We owe this to our veterans. We are all aware of the struggles and failures of the VA. That’s why we also provided funding to cover the cost of the oversight needed to make certain that programs deliver, both for the veterans utilizing them and for the taxpayers funding them.”
The spending bill, which the committee approved unanimously, will serve as the funding arm for veterans care, aiming to meet the construction needs of the various military branches, as well as the housing needs of military personnel. The total FY 2016 discretionary funding for veterans programs was approved at $68.7 billion — $3.6 billion more than the current year’s budget. The total approved for military construction projects and family housing, including base and overseas contingency operations, was $7.6 billion – an increase of $904 million from fiscal year 2015.
“This funding goes to support our troops with the facilities and services necessary to maintain readiness and morale at bases here in the States and around the world,” Dent said. “This is a very solid, bipartisan bill that is focused on the needs of service members, veterans and all their families. We have provided for them to the very best level we can.”