Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Lucas today made the following statement after the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 4486, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2015. The bill provides a total of $165 billion in Fiscal Year 2015 to fund military construction projects and programs of the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department. It passed the House today with a 416 to 1 vote.

“One of the federal government’s top priorities should always be to protect the men and women in uniform who have fought and continue to fight to preserve our freedom in the United States today,” said Lucas. “H.R. 4486 helps achieve this by providing a total of $165 billion so we can continue investing in the physical infrastructure of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). This funding fulfills our obligation to our nation’s military personnel by ensuring they can continue operating in a functional and productive environment.

“In addition, H.R. 4486 guarantees the Department of Veterans Affairs is provided with the resources needed to fulfill our moral duty of taking care of our nation’s veterans. This legislation increases discretionary funding for veterans programs by $1.5 billion above last year’s spending levels, while in-turn increasing efficiency and minimizing barriers our veterans face in receiving their benefits.

“We must always keep true to the promises we made to our nation’s service-members and veterans when they decided to courageously serve our country. I am pleased the House passed H.R. 4486 to fulfill this important goal. It is my hope this legislation will be passed in the Senate and signed into law by President Obama.”

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