07.11.24

Senate Committee Approves FY 2025 MilCon-VA Appropriations Bill

Bill passes Committee by a vote of 27-0

Washington, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Appropriations today approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Act, providing support for critical housing, infrastructure, and facilities for U.S. military forces and their families, as well as increased funding for veterans health care and benefits.

The measure, which was advanced by a unanimous vote of 27-0, provides $148.9 billion in discretionary funding, including $19.3 billion in defense funding and $129.6 billion in nondefense funding. 

"The investments this legislation makes in critical Department of Defense infrastructure will help to strengthen our national security, improve our military’s readiness and safety, and reduce maintenance costs.  The bill also supports much-needed funding to improve medical care and housing for our nation’s veterans,” said Senator Collins.  “As the Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to fight to make sure our veterans receive the funding they need.”

“Providing the resources our servicemembers and their families deserve and supporting our veterans by funding the medical treatment and benefits they have earned must always be a top priority for Congress. I’m pleased our bipartisan bill accomplishes both and includes another vital investment to ensure Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas stays on track to successfully train allies on the F-35 aircraft. Passage of this measure represents our strong, shared commitment to those defending our nation today and in previous generations,” said Senator John Boozman, Ranking Member of the MilCon-VA Appropriations Subcommittee.

Bill Highlights:

Military Construction: $19.3 billion for the Department of Defense military construction program.  This amount funds more than 250 construction projects at military bases and installations around the world to enhance resiliency and support warfighter readiness.  Within this amount, the bill provides $2 billion to improve and maintain housing for servicemembers and their families.

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): $129.2 billion for the VA.

  • VA Medical Care: $112.6 billion for VA medical care, fully funding the President’s request.  This funding includes: $16.4 billion for mental health; $6.4 billion for telehealth services; $3.2 billion for veterans homelessness programs; $2.9 billion for the Caregivers Program; $713 million for opioid misuse prevention and treatment; $878 million for medical and prosthetic research; $1.3 billion for health care specifically for women veterans; and $342 million for rural health initiatives.
  • VA IT System: $6.3 billion for information technology systems to support the development, operations, and maintenance of systems.
  • VA Electronic Health Records: $894 million for the veterans electronic health record, a decrease of $440 million from the previous fiscal year’s enacted level reflecting VA’s revised requirements in light of the program reset and continued pause in new site deployments.
  • VA Mandatory Funding: $210.8 billion for mandatory veterans benefits, including veteran disability compensation programs, education benefits, and vocational rehabilitation and employment training.
  • Advanced Appropriations: $131.4 billion in FY 2026 advance discretionary funding for veterans health care.

Guantanamo Bay: Retains provisions preventing the realignment or closure of the Naval Station and preventing construction of a new facility in the U.S. to house Guantanamo detainees.

Chinese IT Ban: Includes a new provision prohibiting the VA from purchasing technology equipment manufactured by any Chinese companies included on lists maintained by the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Commerce, or Homeland Security.

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