The House Appropriations Committee has passed a 2019 funding plan worth $194.5 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is an 8 percent increase from the department’s current budget, Military Times reported Wednesday.
Members of the committee asserted that the proposed VA fund addresses the Trump administration’s concerns and recommendations despite some technical differences with the White House’s requests.
The government’s priorities for the VA include $8.6 billion in mental health care services, $7.4 billion in homeless veterans treatment and $1.2 billion for the development of a new VA electronic health record system.
The committee’s proposal allots $1.7 billion for major and minor VA construction projects, $2 billion for the restoration of existing infrastructure, $76 billion for 2020 appropriations and $85.3 billion in discretionary spending.
“We owe it to those who serve and fight for our freedom every day to ensure they have the necessary tools and support to do their jobs,†said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen.
The committee’s support for the increased budget provides relief to VA officials as there have been political disagreements over other military and non-military spending.