Senator Patty Murray, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Chair of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, expressed the importance of the Fiscal Year 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. Murray stated, "This bill honors the sacred obligation we have to take care of our veterans when they come home by fully funding veterans’ medical care and benefits and delivering essential resources VA needs to operate. Of critical importance to me, we make record investments in women veterans’ health care, mental health services for our veterans, and resources to help end veteran homelessness—longtime priorities of mine."
The bill provides $135.25 billion in non-defense discretionary funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and related agencies, along with $172.5 billion in mandatory funding. It also includes $18.7 billion in defense spending for military construction and family housing for fiscal year 2024.
In terms of veterans' medical care, the legislation allocates $121.011 billion for VA medical care in fiscal year 2024, a $2.3 billion increase over the previous year. Additionally, the bill provides $3.9 billion for benefits administration and $943 million for medical and prosthetics research.
On the military construction front, the bill delivers critical funding to modernize infrastructure and support military families. It includes roughly $2.5 billion for the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan and over $1.8 billion for projects in the Indo-Pacific Command theater. The legislation also provides funding for family housing construction, barracks construction, and child development centers to support servicemembers and their families.
Furthermore, the bill addresses related agencies such as Arlington National Cemetery, the American Battle Monuments Commission, the Armed Forces Retirement Home, and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims by providing funding for various operations and maintenance activities.
In conclusion, the Fiscal Year 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act fulfills the nation's obligations to veterans, strengthens national security, and makes significant investments in veterans' well-being and military infrastructure.
