Congressman Bishop Statement on FY 2015 Milcon/VA Appropriations Bill Mark-Up

Statement

Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs (VA), and Related Agencies, released the following statement after the Subcommittee reported its Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Appropriations bill to the full House Appropriations Committee.

"I am pleased that our bill provides $6.5 billion in military construction for military family housing, medical facilities, NATO, chemical demilitarization construction, the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission, as well as for Guard and Reserve facilities around the country. I am also pleased that our bill provides $158.2 billion for the Veterans Administration, assuring that all areas of administrative expenses, research, medical care, information technology, and facilities will be adequately funded, allowing our Veterans to receive the highest quality of care."

"Regarding the issue of veteran's backlog, though the VA has made significant progress, the fact that there are still over 300,000 cases currently in backlog means it's still a major national issue. While I continue to be frustrated with the backlog itself, I am hopeful that the additional $20 million on top of the already allocated $173.3 million will help the VA reach its goal to end the backlog in 2015."

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