A House Appropriations subcommittee meets Friday morning to review its draft spending bill for military construction and veterans affairs.
“The bill specifically targets military housing and child care needs, women’s and mental health priorities, and the climate crisis, while responding to threats emanating from Russian and Chinese aggression,” Subcommittee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), said in a press release. “It’s a blueprint to make our VA and military stronger and more responsive to all those who proudly protect America, now and in the past.”
The bill allocates $213 million for military child development centers, including money for the planning and design of future facilities. That is more than 10 times what President Joe Biden requested in his budget, which funded development of only one child care center, Military Times noted. The House panel’s plan would impact 1.2 million military-connected children, Democrats said in a summary.
The bill calls for $100 million for “climate change and resiliency projects.” That budget line is $14 million in the current year and was unfunded in the fiscal year 2022 budget request.
It also sets aside $13.2 billion for mental health accounts at the Department of Veterans Affairs, just slightly higher than the President’s request. Of that, almost $600 million would be earmarked for suicide prevention outreach.
Army photo by Lesley Atkinson
