Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014


The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014 is an appropriations bill that was introduced into the United States House of Representatives during the 113th United States Congress. The bill would appropriate money to various government agencies related to the United States Department of Defense and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. This funding would be used during fiscal year 2014, which ends September 30, 2014. According to its committee report, "the purpose of the bill is to support our military and their families and provide the benefits and medical care that our veterans have earned for their service." The report also indicated that the Committee had made its decisions with the national debt and budget deficit in mind.
According to the Committee report: "The Committee recommends $157,782,090,000 in budget authority for the fiscal year 2014 programs and activities funded in the bill. In addition, advance appropriations of $55,634,227,000 are provided for fiscal year 2015 medical programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The fiscal year 2014 recommendation is an increase of $12,939,319,000 above the fiscal year 2013 enacted level and $1,370,117,000 below the President’s request. Included in this amount is $84,461,636,000 in mandatory budget authority and $73,320,454,000 in discretionary budget authority."
The bill was later incorporated as of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, which was enacted in January 2014.

Provisions/Elements of the bill

This summary is based largely on the summary provided by the Congressional Research Service, a public domain source.
Title I: Department of Defense would appropriate funds for FY2014 for the United States Department of Defense for: military construction for the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, and Air Force, DOD, the Army National Guard and Air National Guard, and the United States Army Reserve, United States Navy Reserve, and Air Force reserve; the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Security Investment Program; family housing construction and related operation and maintenance for the military departments and DOD; the Department of Defense Family Housing Improvement Fund; chemical demilitarization construction; and the Department of Defense Base Closure Account.
It also specifies restrictions and authorizations regarding the use of funds appropriated in this title and in other military construction appropriations Acts.
Title II: Department of Veterans Affairs would authorize appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs for: the Veterans Benefits Administration, readjustment benefits, veterans insurance and indemnities, the Veterans Housing Benefit Program Fund, the Vocational Rehabilitation Loans Program, the Native American Veteran Housing Loan Program, the Veterans Health Administration, the National Cemetery Administration, the Office of the Inspector General, construction for major and minor projects, and grants for the construction of state extended care facilities and veterans cemeteries.
It also specifies restrictions and authorizations regarding the use of funds appropriated in this title.
Title III: Related Agencies would appropriate funds for: the American Battle Monuments Commission, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, cemeterial expenses, and the Armed Forces Retirement Home.
Finally, Title IV: General Provisions would specify restrictions and authorities regarding the use of funds appropriated in this Act.

Procedural history

House

The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014 was introduced on May 28, 2013 by the United States House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Rep. John Carter. It was reported alongside . This 94-page report includes an explanatory summary, minority views from several members, and a variety of charts comparing budget requests with the proposed FY 2014 funding. On May 28, 2013, the bill was placed on the Union Calendar, calendar 63. On June 4, 2013, the House resolved itself in the Committee of the Whole to debate the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014 with Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen as the designated chairman. The Committee of the Whole debated the bill and various amendments until 8:06pm on June 4 when the bill passed in with a vote of 421-4.

Senate

The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014 was received in the United States Senate on June 6, 2013 and then referred to the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Presidential response

On June 3, 2013, President of the United States Barack Obama and his Administration released a statement on H.R. 2216. The President's statement expressed the hope that some changes could be made to the bill. One change the President would like to see made to the bill is the addition of a 1% pay increase for all Federal civilian employees. Another criticism was that the Administration "strongly opposes section 413", a section which would prohibit the executive branch from using any of the appropriated funds to "construct, renovate, or expand any facility in the United States to house individuals held in the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay." The Administration argues that this is too strong of a constrain on their power. The statement included the announcement that "the President’s senior advisors would recommend that he veto H.R. 2216" unless various changes were made. The same veto threat was issued about the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2014 in a push by the President to force action about the 2014 United States federal budget. Despite this veto threat, the House passed the bill 421-4 the next day.

Debate and discussion

According to the watchdog website, Washingtonwatch.com, if passed this bill would cost $1,481.10 per average family.
According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the bill would fund programs in the Department of Veterans Affairs designed to combat homelessness among veterans at the highest level in history.