Members of the Florida delegation clashed in Congress this week over the Military Construction/VA Appropriations bill which the U.S. House passed 255-163 on Thursday.
The bill contains $76.6 billion in discretionary spending, $4.6 billion more than last year, covering military construction projects in Florida including at naval facilities on the First Coast and Pensacola, Air Force posts at Cape Canaveral, Eglin and Hulburt Field, an Army National Guard readiness center in Palm Coast and other projects. The bill also urged the VA to bring in more nursing home beds and embrace new technology to reach rural populations. The bill also ensures the VA starts to incorporate new mental health treatments.
The full House was expected to vote on the measure on Wednesday but the leadership pulled the bill due to concerns over opposition to funding Overseas Contingency Operations account.
Party lines mostly held in the Florida delegation though U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, D-Fla., was one of 19 Democrats to support the bill. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., was one of 13 representatives who did not vote.
This week, U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, who sits on the U.S. House Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, insisted the bill helped security and ensuring the VA will be able to meet the needs of veterans.
Im proud to represent more than 75,000 veterans, and one of the questions I hear most often from my constituents is, What are you doing about the VA? The veterans in my district and across the country deserve better than what weve seen over the last several years waiting lists for needed health care, long backlogs for benefit claims, outdated technology, and a lack of accountability, Rooney said. Our bipartisan appropriations bill builds on the VA reform we passed last year to address these critical problems. Weve increased funding to improve health care services and speed benefits claim processing, directed a transition to a seamless DOD/VA health record, and added new oversight measures to hold VA accountable for delivering the care our veterans need, where and when they need it.
Im particularly glad that our bill includes a number of requests I made to continue improving mental health services for returning veterans. While weve made tremendous progress, we must keep working to expand access, increase awareness, and research effective treatments, Rooney said. By maintaining critical investments in Floridas defense infrastructure, our bill helps keep America safe while improving quality of life for our troops and military families.
U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla., who sits on the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, showcased the $32.5 million going to 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 said on Thursday after the vote. Thats why the military infrastructure projects in the fiscal year 2016 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Bill, including those for Northeast Floridas 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.
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 added. 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.
But U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee, voted against the bill, saying it had deep funding cuts in veterans health care and saying the GOP was not helping veterans enough.
This bill is yet another example of the Republican Party talking the talk, but not walking the walk, Brown said this week. As members of Congress, it is our job to make sure that the men and women who fought for our freedom have access to high-quality, comprehensive health care services. One of our first obligations to meet this demand is ensuring that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has the resources it needs to provide top-notch care to our veterans. Just a few months ago, President Barack Obama proposed a budget for 2016 which will help to meet the needs of the VA by providing $70.2 billion in discretionary funding for VA, a 7.5 percent increase from 2015. This proposed budget would also provide $3.2 billion in estimated medical care collections and $95.3 billion for VAs mandatory benefit programs.
The bill included U.S. Rep David Jollys, R-Fla., amendment ensuring federal funds are not used to close the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Jolly took to the floor on Wednesday to explain why the base should remain open.
This amendment is about protecting our national security, Jolly said. The U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay is a strategically placed military base that is vital to the regional security in the Caribbean and a key component of our broader U.S. defense policy. The Naval Station plays an important role in fighting drug trafficking, providing humanitarian assistance during crises, and supporting other operations important to the U.S and neighboring countries.
This amendment is wholly separate from the debate concerning the detention facility at the Naval Station and the status of detainees, Jolly added. This is about preserving a Department of Defense asset critical to our national security an asset described by our military commanders as essential, indispensable, and of immense strategic value.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
