Military construction-VA spending bill sails through Senate panel

The Senate Appropriations Committee easily approved a $133.9 billion spending bill for military construction projects and the Veterans Affairs Department on Tuesday, a day after it sailed through subcommittee. The vote was 21-0.

Last month, the House Appropriations Committee approved a $133 billion spending bill.

The Senate measure includes $76.7 billion in discretionary spending, an amount that is $439.1 million above President Obama's request. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii said the discretionary portion is 5 percent above fiscal 2009 spending.

The bill appropriates $109 billion total for VA, including $53.2 billion in discretionary funding, $150 million more than Obama requested. Total medical care funding for VA is $44.7 billion.

The bill also includes $48.2 billion in advance appropriations for fiscal 2011 in three VA medical accounts: medical services, medical support and compliance, and medical facilities. Appropriations Committee ranking member Thad Cochran, R-Miss., said the advance appropriations would provide "more predictable" funding levels that will improve the quality of healthcare for veterans.

Military Construction-VA Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Johnson, D-S.D., said the committee will carefully go over funding again before a fiscal 2011 appropriations bill is worked on next year, but that it was "important to maintain stable healthcare funding."

VA funding includes $2.1 billion for health care for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a $463 million increase over fiscal 2009, and $5.9 billion for long-term care for aging veterans and severely wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. It also includes $1.9 billion for VA hospital and clinic construction.

Johnson said the bill also contains $1.4 billion for overseas contingency operations in Afghanistan, a separate category from the military construction projects.

The bill provides $23.2 billion for military construction projects, $286 million more than Obama's request. The funding includes $12.6 billion for active and reserve military construction, $2 billion for family housing and $373 million for the Homeowners Assistance Program to provide mortgage relief to military families forced to relocate. The Base Closure and Realignment Program is also fully funded at $7.5 billion.

Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said she was glad the bill included a request for a report on cost savings for residential barracks for the military. Family housing can now be built with 25 percent savings, and Landrieu said the same should be done for barracks, pointing out that 30 percent of the Army's barracks are at least 30 years old.

Additionally, the bill provides $279 million for related agencies, including $80.6 million for the American Battle Monuments Commission, $27.1 million for the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans' Claims, $37.2 million for Arlington National Cemetery and $134 million for the Armed Forces Retirement Home.