U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) praised House passage on Wednesday of the fiscal year 2016 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill, which would fund $32.5 million in defense infrastructure construction projects at Naval Station Mayport and Naval Air Station Jacksonville.
“Day-to-day headlines from dangerous parts of the world constantly remind us that now is not the time to cut back our military,” Crenshaw, a member of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said. “That’s why the military infrastructure projects in the fiscal year 2016 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Bill, including those for Northeast Florida’s bases, are so critical. With effective and efficient use of taxpayer dollars, they will strengthen our national defense now and across many years to come.”
The appropriations bill would offer veterans benefits, care and service upgrades. The measure now advances to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Some of the provisions in the bill include $16.1 million for the construction of a Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) support facility at Naval Station Mayport, $8.2 million for the construction of a Naval Air Station Jacksonville facility to support the MQ-4 Triton unmanned aerial surveillance system, and $8.2 million for an addition to the Fleet Support Facility for the Littoral Surveillance Radar System at Naval Air Station Jacksonville.
“Support facilities for the LCS fleet at Naval Station Mayport, as well as manned and unmanned surveillance programs at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville, mean our servicemen and women will be prepared with the best information available to carry out their mission,” Crenshaw, who also chairs the House Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, said. “Moreover, funding increases for veterans programs will ensure our veterans have timely and easy access to key benefits – among them VA medical services, electronic health-record modernization, disability-claims backlog improvement, facilities construction and increased VA oversight.”