House passes military quality of life spending bill

The House on Thursday passed a $121.8 billion fiscal 2006 Military Quality of Life-VA spending bill, a newly constituted bill that combines military construction, Pentagon health and housing accounts and the Veterans Affairs Department.

Military Quality of Life-VA Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman James Walsh, R-N.Y., said it allows a comprehensive focus on quality-of-life issues for servicemen and women for the first time since the advent of the all-volunteer force in 1973, and "does so in a fiscally responsible manner."

The measure would provide $85.2 billion in discretionary spending, about $1.1 billion over President Bush's request and $5.9 billion over last year's enacted level. About $1.7 billion of that increase is for the 2005 base realignment and closure account, and other healthy increases are included for Pentagon healthcare and housing programs and veterans' services.

The bill includes $21 billion for veterans' medical services, a $1 billion increase over the president's request and $1.6 billion over last year's enacted level. That represents an 8.5 percent increase over last year and 18.2 percent over the last two years, and sets aside $2.2 billion for specialty mental health care, the first time such care has had its own account.

Despite the increase, Democrats decried the healthcare funding as inadequate for veterans' needs, with the looming holiday serving to highlight their complaints.

"On Memorial Day, members will go to their districts, put their hands on their hearts and say how much they respect veterans. But all too often when veterans come home they don't get the care they deserve," said House Appropriations ranking member David Obey, D-Wis.

Obey was rebuffed by the Rules Committee in his attempt to add $2.6 billion for veterans' services, because as an offset his amendment would have scaled back tax cuts for upper-income taxpayers. That would have been subject to a point of order from the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over revenue legislation.

In a Statement of Administration Policy, the White House said it supports the bill but is concerned that it trims $310 million from its BRAC request and funds "roughly 80" unrequested military construction projects at a cost of $500 million.

Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La., offered an amendment to trim $169 million from the BRAC 2005 account and add funds for veterans' services, but lost on a 214-213 vote. Walsh pointed out that because outlays for veterans' programs take longer to spend, trimming $169 million from BRAC would equal only about $30 million for the VA, at the cost of economic redevelopment around new base closures.

"In effect, this is penny-wise and pound foolish," Walsh said.

Also, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., failed to trim $351 million from the 2005 BRAC account to provide funds for environmental cleanup related to bases closed in the 1988 round, which he and others said was long overdue.