Promises Made, Promises Kept

Floor Speech

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Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for having us tonight to talk about this important issue.

Over the August district work period, I traveled throughout coastal Virginia and heard directly from the people I represent: servicemembers, shipyard workers, working families, and aerospace leaders. I saw firsthand how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is already beginning to shape our future here at home.

At a TRICARE roundtable, I met with hospitals, small clinics, and providers who serve our military community. Families told me how critical it is to have consistent, reliable access to healthcare. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act makes a strong downpayment by providing over $2 billion in new funding for the Defense Health Program, strengthening medical readiness for our servicemembers and ensuring our servicemembers and their families and loved ones can get the care they deserve.

I also visited the Curtiss-Wright service center in Chesapeake, where skilled workers support our Navy's nuclear fleet. Their work is a reminder that America's shipbuilding strength begins with the men and women of our industrial base. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act invests more than $29 billion in shipbuilding and another $25 billion in advanced weapons and munitions. These funds will help sustain high- skilled jobs across Hampton Roads and guarantee our Navy remains the strongest in the world.

At Naval Station Norfolk, I heard from commanders and sailors about the importance of readiness and from military families about the daily challenges of housing, childcare, and the costs of moving.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act makes historic investments in quality of life for our servicemembers, providing over $7.5 billion this year for modernization of military housing, including $1 billion for unaccompanied housing across the services, $230 million for the Marine Corps Barracks 2030 initiative, tuition assistance, childcare, and housing allowance supplements, and an extension of temporary lodging expenses from 14 to 21 days to ease the burden of PCS moves. These are not abstract numbers. They are real solutions for the families who sacrifice so much to serve our great Nation.

Finally, I traveled to Wallops Island in my district to visit the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, where Virginia is playing a vital role in America's return to the Moon and preparation for Mars. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act provides nearly $10 billion for NASA, supporting Artemis missions, the International Space Station, and new launch infrastructure. These investments will directly benefit Wallops, strengthen our space economy, and inspire the next generation of aerospace leaders here in Virginia.

Mr. Speaker, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act restores American strength at sea, revitalizes our industrial base, improves quality of life for military families, and secures our future in space. I am proud to have supported this historic legislation, and I will keep working to make sure coastal Virginia sees the full benefit of what we accomplished.

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