House appropriators advance $469 billion spending package for VA, military construction

The House Appropriations Committee advances a $469 billion spending package Tuesday to fund the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as major infrastructure projects supporting military families on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON — The House Appropriations Committee advanced a $469 billion spending package Tuesday to fund the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as major infrastructure projects supporting military families.

House appropriators reviewed and amended the annual Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, the primary funding vehicle for the VA.

Known as MILCON-VA, the legislation provides the dollars for veterans’ disability compensation, pensions, education assistance, health care, insurance and loan programs.

The committee passed the bill unanimously.

Other veterans-related operations funded by MILCON-VA span the American Battle Monuments Commission, Arlington National Cemetery, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and the Armed Forces Retirement Home.

Chairman Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., delivers remarks during a House Appropriations committee hearing on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

“Taking care of our heroes is our responsibility, and I am proud to see this bill advance out of committee as we work to fulfill that duty,” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., the committee chairman.

The bill appropriates $138.2 billion for VA medical care and $54.6 billion for a dedicated toxic exposures fund to compensate veterans who became sick after being exposed to burn pits, radiation and other hazardous materials during military service.

It invests $19.2 billion in military construction, covering improvements to family housing at Defense Department installations and providing oversight of privatized military housing, according to budget documents.

Ranking member Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., addresses legislators during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., described the spending package as sufficient but pointed out that proposed funds for military construction, which include spending on barracks and family housing, is below the administration’s request.

The package also spends approximately $2 billion in capital improvements for VA medical facilities and four national cemeteries, according to budget documents.

“This is a good bipartisan bill that takes good care of our veterans,” said Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.

One of the more hotly contested amendments, which failed to pass, would have authorized a study on the impact of a proposal by President Donald Trump to erect a 250-foot-tall arch, less than a half mile from Arlington National Cemetery.

The Commission of Fine Arts, a federal agency that guides designs in the nation’s capital, is reviewing the proposal, the New York Times reported last week.

But Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said the study was needed to determine how construction work and the arch itself might impact traffic, including military families, traveling to and from the cemetery.

Carter said that he appreciated her concerns, but the land considered for development of the arch is managed by the National Park Service — and not under the Army’s jurisdiction or part of Arlington National Cemetery.

Committee members overall lauded their bipartisan work on the MILCON-VA bill but also cautioned that their review and endorsement represent an early phase in the congressional approval process.

The VA provides health care for 9 million veterans who are enrolled in its health care system, according to budget documents.

Disability compensation is paid to an estimated 6 million veterans and a half-million survivors, according to budget documents.

The committee directed the comptroller general to launch a study that compares the salaries of VA doctors and nurses with the private sector to help with hiring and retention efforts, as the agency faces long-term vacancies amid a national shortage of providers.

It also supported the development of a national strategy for the purchase of “less-than-lethal electronic control weapons,” known as ECWs, for VA police to manage threats and ensure public safety at VA hospitals and other facilities, according to budget documents.

The committee encouraged the VA to expand a case-management platform nationwide that enables state veterans service officers to assist former service members in managing their federal VA benefits.