Rep. Barry Moore votes for legislation that fully funds health care for veterans

On Friday, CongressmanBarry Moore(R-AL02) voted in favor of the2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. This legislation aims to fully fund veterans’ health care programs and supports a strong national defense by funding $17 billion in military construction projects. It also includes provisions prohibiting VA funding for abortion, critical race theory, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

This bill is a victory for the 377,000 veterans in my home state of Alabama who rely on care and benefits from the VA after serving our country,” said Moore. “House Republicans are focused on caring for these heroes and investing in the future of our servicemembers rather than spending taxpayer dollars on extinguishing innocent lives or propping up woke initiatives that prioritize pronouns over performance.”

The 2024 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill:

         Fully funds VA health care programs

         Fully funds VA benefits

         Invests in the pacific theater and new barracks

         Prohibits the closure or realignment of Guantanamo Bay

         Prohibits funding for abortion through the VA

         Prohibits funding for critical race theory initiatives and DEI initiatives

This bill before us fully and responsibly funds veterans health care, said Appropriations Committee ChairKay Granger. It will ensure our veterans get the medical treatment they deserve.

The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act includes a total of $317 billion in funding for the Department of Defense (Military Construction and Family Housing), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and related agencies. Of the total, $155 billion is provided as discretionary funding and $161.740 billion is provided for mandatory programs. Of the discretionary total, $17.474 billion is for Department of Defense military construction projects, nearly $800 million above the Presidents Budget Request. The bill also fully funds the Department of Veterans Affairs for Fiscal Year 2024 by appropriating $137.755 billion in discretionary funding in addition to the $20.268 billion included in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 for the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund. It also includes a total of $471.7 million for the four related agencies.

House Democrats opposed the bill. Theirstated reasonsfor opposing the bill are that it:

         Worsens readiness by cutting military construction by over $1.5 billion compared to the current level and does not include dedicated funding for PFAS remediation and cleanup or military installation climate change and resilience projects.

         Further limits womens access to abortion.

         Damages the quality of life of veterans. Veterans rely on programs across the entire federal government. House Republicans proposals to slash critical domestic investment in other bills to levels not seen for yearsand in some cases decadesstrip away education, job opportunities, housing, and food assistance that veterans and their families depend on.

         Cannot claim to support veterans while making it harder for them to feed their families, and keep roofs over their heads while denying them education and training opportunities at every stage of life.

         Includes partisan changes to existing law, known as riders, that Democrats will never support, disenfranchising veterans rather than making VA a welcoming and inclusive place for all those who volunteer to serve our country. We did not make promises to certain servicemembers in exchange for their service and sacrifice; we made promises to everyone

H.R. 4366 passed the House as amended 219 to 211 along a largely party-line vote. It now goes to the Senate, where a much different bill is likely to pass. The two versions will ultimately be settled in a conference committee.

Barry Moore is in his second term representingAlabamas Second Congressional District. He previously served the people of Enterprise in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018.

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