The House Appropriations Committee released a draft of the Fiscal Year 2021 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Funding Bill on Monday, which would increase discretionary funding by $5.1 billion from the 2021 level.

The bill provides a total of $10.1 billion for military construction, not including overseas contingency operations funding.

Within MILCON funding, $1.49 billion will be allocated for family housing; $135 million of which will be used to address issues such as mold, vermin, and lead in military family housing.

The bill stipulates that military base funds cannot be used for the border wall construction or any projects on bases named after Confederate soldiers, CQ reports.

Furthermore, the legislation includes $12.5 billion in emergency appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs rising cost of providing healthcare for veterans.

“In the midst of a global pandemic, we are making unprecedented investments in our veterans through our VA medical system to ensure that every veteran has access to the top-notch health care that they deserve,” said House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the spending bill summary.

Photo by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers