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House Fully Funds VA, Passes Ebbing Air National Guard Funding

Washington, July 27, 2023

Washington, DC—July 27, 2023…Today the House of Representatives passed the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2024. Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) voted in favor of the bill, which passed out of the House Appropriations Committee on June 13, 2023, with his support. This legislation exceeds the Department of Defense’s Military Construction budget request and secures key defense priorities, including $75.5 million for three Ebbing Air National Guard Base projects, full funding for veterans’ health programs, and robust investments in the Pacific region.

Congressman Womack said, “The important Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill is now one step closer to becoming law, which is a win for Fort Smith and veterans across Arkansas and the nation. I ensured critical construction projects for the FMS mission at Ebbing Air National Guard Base were included, and I’m proud the bill fully funds veterans’ healthcare and benefits. This legislation reaffirms my commitment to strengthening our national security presence in Fort Smith and my unwavering support for the brave men and women who served this great nation. Now we must turn our focus to finding a way to pass all 11 remaining bills to avert a CR or a government shutdown.”

Honors our commitment to veterans by: 

  • Fully funding the President’s Budget Request for the VA.
  • Fully funding veterans’ healthcare programs.
  • Fully funding veterans’ benefits and VA programs, including the electronic health record modernization initiative.

Supports strong national security by: 

  • Providing nearly $800 million above the President’s Budget Request for military construction, focusing investments in the Pacific theater, barracks, and other quality of-life projects.
  • Maintaining two provisions prohibiting the closure or realignment of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
  • Providing $75.5 million for three Ebbing Air National Guard Base projects. 

Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) has represented Arkansas’s Third Congressional District since 2011. He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

womack.house.gov

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