House Passes First FY25 Bill, Fully Funding VA Health Care and Bolstering National Security
Washington, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives met to consider the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025. The measure was approved by a vote of 209 to 197.
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee Chairman John Carter (R-TX) said, “This bill is special because it takes care of our heroes, both during and after their service. By fully funding veterans' health care, investing in quality-of-life improvements for military families, and providing robust funding for the Indo-Pacific, this bill fulfills our promise to the men and women who have raised their right hand to defend the nation. I appreciate Chairman Cole's guidance and my colleagues’ support on the floor today.”
Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) said, “One of America’s greatest differentiators are the men and women who’ve selflessly answered the call to serve. They bravely met their duty to us, and now we have yet another opportunity to uphold our obligation to them. This bill fully funds health care and benefits for our veterans, reflecting our deep gratitude to our heroes. It also enhances the quality of life of our troops and their families and invests in key deterrence measures in the Indo-Pacific. My vote is simple: I support our veterans, our troops, and strengthening the defense of the United States. I’m proud of the work of Chairman Carter and each Member who stood up today for our servicemembers, past and present.”
Subcommittee Chairman Carter’s floor remarks are available here.
Chairman Cole's floor remarks are available here.
Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025
The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025 includes a total discretionary allocation of $147.520 billion for the Department of Defense (Military Construction and Family Housing), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and related agencies. The defense portion of the allocation is $17.957 billion ($412 million above the FY25 Budget Request), and the non-defense portion of the allocation is $129.563 billion.
In addition, the Act provides $231.124 billion for mandatory programs for a total of $378.644 billion in overall funding.
Key Takeaways
- Honors our commitment to veterans by:
- Fully funding veterans’ health care programs.
- Fully funding veterans’ benefits and VA programs.
- Bolsters our national security by:
- Providing robust funding for the Indo-Pacific region, fully funding projects in Guam, and increasing resources for INDOPACOM to improve the Department of Defense posture in the region.
- Maintaining the prohibitions on the closure of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and the use of military construction funds to build facilities for detainees on U.S. soil.
- Focuses the Executive Branch on its core responsibilities by:
- Reaffirming the political limits outlined in the Hatch Act, particularly those of lobbying Congress and using official resources for political purposes.
- Prohibiting the use of funds to promote or advance critical race theory.
- Prohibiting the implementation, administration, or enforcement of the Biden Administration’s executive orders on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Supports American values and principles by:
- Prohibiting taxpayer dollars from being used for abortion, using Hyde language which includes exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.
- Protecting the 2nd Amendment rights of veterans, preventing VA from sending information to the FBI about veterans without a judge’s consent.
- Prohibiting VA from processing medical care claims for illegal aliens.
A summary of the bill, before adoption of amendments, is available here.
Bill text, before adoption of amendments, is available here.
Bill report is available here.
A table of included Community Project Funding requests is available here.
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