This week, the House approved the Military Quality of Life, and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; and Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies spending bills. The House Appropriations Committee approved the Homeland Security, and Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies spending bills. In addition, a House Appropriations subcommittee approved the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Agencies spending bill.
Floor Action
Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs
On May 19, the House approved, 395-0, the FY2007 Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs spending bill (H.R. 5385). The House Appropriations Committee approved the measure on May 10 (See The Source, 5/12/06).
During consideration of the bill, a point of order was raised against several amendments and sustained by the chair because the amendments would have changed current law and therefore were considered legislating on an appropriations bill, which is against House rules. Of most relevance to women, Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) offered an amendment that would have added $1.8 billion to veterans’ health care. The increase would have been offset by a reduction in the tax cut for individuals with annual incomes over $1 million.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) offered and then withdrew an amendment that would have reduced the account for Department of Defense Base Closure 2005 by $10 million and would have increased the Defense Health Program by $10 million in order to establish a pilot program to provide in-person mental health assessments to service members when they deploy or return from combat.
Subcommittee Action
Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Agencies
On May 19, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Agencies approved, by voice vote, its FY2007 spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). The measure would allocate $21.3 billion in FY2007, a $597 million increase over FY2006 (not including emergency supplemental funding), but $2.888 billion below the administration’s request.
While all of the funding levels for programs of particular interest to women and their families were not available at press time, the following are highlights from the bill:
The measure would provide $3.431 billion in FY2007 for HIV/AIDS prevention activities, $751.6 million more than FY2006 and the same as the administration’s budget request. Of the total, an estimated $3.15 billion is for HIV/AIDS programs and $201 million is for tuberculosis programs. The total would include at least $445 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, “more than double” the amount requested by President Bush, according to the committee press release.
The bill would provide $177.6 million for malaria activities within the Child Survival and Health account, an increase of $78.6 million over FY2006 and $45.4 million below the administration’s request.
Under the bill, $432 million would be included for international family planning programs in FY2007. This amount is $4 million less than FY2006 and $75 million more than the administration’s request. In FY2007, the UNFPA would receive $34 million. The administration has blocked the release of all UNFPA funds in fiscal years 2002 through 2005. At this time, it remains unclear as to whether the FY2006 funds will be released.
The measure would provide $2 billion for the Millennium Challenge Corporation, $248 million more than FY2006 and $1 billion less than the administration request.
The Peace Corps would receive $325 million in FY2007, a $5 million increase over FY2006, but $12 million below the amount requested by President Bush.
Finally, the bill would provide $137.5 million for the Darfur region of Sudan, identical to the administration’s request. The funding would be provided only to the coalition government if “it is used in support of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement or the Darfur Peace Agreement,” according to the committee press release.
The full committee will consider the measure on May 25.
