Ander Crenshaw Manages Passage of $77 Million to First Coast Bases via Congress

Big win for U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Jacksonville, in Congress on Wednesday when the House passed HR 5822, an appropriations bill on veterans affairs funding and appropriations for military construction projects. The bill sends $2 million to help ensure that Mayport Naval Station in Duval County is prepared to serve as the base for a nuclear carrier; it also sends almost $75 million to expand Marine facilities on Blount Island to handle logistics for military operations overseas, including Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Navy ruled that national security dictatesthe East Coast has two nuclear aircraft-carrier home ports, Mayport being one of them, said Crenshaw. With the Quadrennial Defense Review reinforcing that decision, the work shifts to funding the projects needed to make this base nuclear-ready. I have fought for Mayport from day one and will continue to do so until the day a carrier sails in to home port on the First Coast.

At Blount Island Marine Corps Command, funds for expanding storage capabilities, overhauling equipment, and shipping will help make sure our Marines receive well-maintained equipment in a timely manner, added Crenshaw. These resources mean that Blount Island will be able to accept more equipment returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and service our pre-positioning ships and equipment more efficiently.

For our veterans, my proposal to reallocate $14 million to the Veterans Benefits Administration to allow the VA to retain 306 education claims processors was included in this final bill and will ensure that GI education benefits claims are processed quickly, concluded Crenshaw. We have all supported and lauded the benefits of the new GI education benefits bill, but we must be attentive to complaints from angry veterans who begin a semester in college only to have their tuition bill still unpaid months later.

The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate.

Crenshaw was active in managing the effort, even speaking on the floor in length during the session on Wednesday.