Political Quotes

“as we begin consideration of the fiscal year 2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill, I want to start by thanking the chairman of the subcommittee and his staff. The process Chairman Kirk and I put into place was fair, inclusive, and open, and I appreciate that he went out of his way to incorporate input from me, my team, and Senators from this side of the aisle. This bill does right by our brave service men and women by honoring our Nation's commitment to veterans, Active-Duty military, and their families. We owe these folks our gratitude for their selfless sacrifice to freedom and democracy. As a result of last year's bipartisan budget agreement, we are on the same page this year in terms of top-line funding numbers. This level of funding has allowed us to make critical investments in military construction, veterans programs, as well as Arlington National Cemetery and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. For VA, this bill provides $102 billion in mandatory funding for veterans' benefits--$102 billion--and includes an additional $103.9 billion in fiscal year 2018 advance funding to ensure that there is not a lapse in getting disability compensation and education benefits to our veterans. For VA's discretionary accounts, including the Veterans Health Administration, the bill appropriates $74.9 billion. That is $3.4 billion more than the Department has this year.…”