On May 24, the House Appropriations Committee approved, by voice vote, the FY2012 Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). On the same date, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies approved, also by voice vote, its FY2012 spending measure (as-yet-unnumbered).
Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies
According to the committee report, the bill contains $142.032 billion in FY2012 overall funding for military construction projects at the Department of Defense (DoD) and programs at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA). This amount is $3.308 billion over FY2011, but $1.253 billion below President Obama’s FY2012 request. The total contains $72.535 billion and $69.497 billion in discretionary and mandatory funds, respectively.
Military construction would receive $14.014 billion (p.14). This amount is $2.609 billion below FY2011 and $752 million below the president’s request. The funding includes $1.694 billion for family housing construction, which is $128.845 million below FY2011, but equal to the president’s request.
With regard to DoD child care facilities, the committee “encourages the Department of Defense to reaffirm its commitment to providing exceptional child care facilities on all domestic and international military installations. The committee also encourages [DoD] to ensure that child development centers located on military installations offer a safe child care environment and meet professional standards for early childhood education” (p.20).
The VA would receive $129.726 billion in FY2012 (p. 32). This amount is $7.854 billion over FY2011, but $475.737 million below the administration’s request (p. 32). The amount includes $53.05 billion for the Veterans’ Health Administration, which is equal to the president’s request and $1.907 billion over FY2011.
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
According to the committee summary and chart, the bill would provide $125.487 billion in overall funding in FY2012. That amount is $282.806 million over FY2011 but $7.039 billion less than the president’s request. The total includes $108.237 billion in mandatory funding and $17.25 billion in discretionary funding.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) would receive $5.901 billion in FY2012, $832.777 million below FY2011 and $1.409 billion below the administration’s request. Child nutrition programs, which provide free and reduced-price school lunches to low-income children, would receive $18.771 billion. This amount is $1.451 billion over FY2011 and equal to the president’s request.
The Special Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would receive $71.173 billion. This amount is $5.967 billion over FY2011 and $2 billion below the president’s request. The Commodity Assistance Program would receive $192.5 million in FY2012, which is $53.626 million below FY2011 and $57.119 million below the president’s request.
The P.L. 480 Title II Food for Peace program would receive $1.04 billion in FY2012, which is $456.802 million below FY2011 and $643.302 below President Obama’s request. The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition program would receive $180 million, which is $19.101 million less than FY2011 and $20.5 million less than the administration’s request.
The Food and Drug Administration would receive $3.684 billion in FY2012, which includes mandatory funding for user fees. This amount is $3.365 billion over FY2011, but $567.459 million below the administration’s request.
