Smith Supports Veterans, Military Personnel and their Families
Washington, Jul 29 – Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) continued to build on his strong commitment to veterans, military personnel and their families by supporting the fiscal year 2011 Military Construction and Veterans Appropriations bill. The legislation invests in projects and programs of critical importance, including veteran’s benefits and healthcare, and military family housing, barracks and mission critical facilities.
“The men and women who have served in our armed forces, along with their families, have made tremendous sacrifices and they deserve our full commitment and support,” said Congressman Adam Smith. “The legislation passed by the House demonstrates our commitment by working to provide our veterans and their families with the benefits and support they deserve.”
Generally, the FY2011 Military Construct and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill provides $120.8 billion for veterans’ programs, a 10% increase over the previous year’s budget. These funds will help continue to strengthen health programs and improve benefits and compensation. As with the previous bill, this year’s bill provides advanced appropriations for medical services and facilities to ensure that the Veterans Health Administration receives reliable and timely funds to ensure care for veterans is not disrupted. The bill also provides important funding to help veterans suffering from conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), provide assistance to homeless veterans, and improve access to care to veterans living in rural areas.
The legislation also provides more than $200 million in funding for the construction and refurbishing of key military projects and facilities at Joint Base Lewis-McCord. This funding is essential to the continued modernization and expansion of the base.
In addition to supporting this important legislation, Smith recently introduced and the House passed a pair of bills that support Veterans and military families. These bills, coupled with today’s vote, demonstrate an unwavering commitment to our nation’s military, veterans and their families.
“Together, these bills will help address significant problems plaguing our military community – high unemployment in our veterans population and the strain placed on families when their loved ones are deployed,” said Smith.