Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies
On July 20, the Senate passed, 97-2, the FY2012 Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies spending bill (H.R. 2055). The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the bill on June 30 (see The Source, 7/1/11); the House approved its version on June 14 (see The Source, 6/17/11).
According to the committee report, the legislation would provide $142.03 billion for FY2012, $3.35 billion over FY2011, $1.255 billion below President Obama’s FY2012 request, and $2.67 million below the House-passed version of the bill.
The military construction portion of the bill (Title I) would provide $13.717 billion for “critical infrastructure, ranging from mission essential operational and training facilities to key quality of life facilities, including barracks, family housing, child care centers, schools and hospitals.”
Veterans’ Affairs (Title II) would receive $130.021 billion in FY2012, $6.855 billion over FY2011, $181.742 billion below the president’s request, and $293.995 million below the amount provided in the House bill (p. 113). Funding for Veterans’ Affairs includes $53.122 billion for the Veterans’ Health Administration, $1.98 billion over FY2011, $72.226 million over the administration’s request, and $50.226 million over the House bill’s allocation (p. 113).
The chart below details funding levels for programs within the spending bill that are important to women and their families.
|
Program/Agency |
FY2011 |
President’s FY2012 Request |
House |
Senate |
| Military Construction (p. 111) | $16.588 billion | $14.766 billion | $14.014 billion | $13.717 billion |
| Family housing | $1.82 billion | $1.694 billion | $1.694 billion | $1.694 billion |
Legislative Branch
On July 22, the House approved, 252-159, its FY2012 Legislative Branch spending bill (H.R. 2551). The House Appropriations Committee passed the measure on July 13 (see The Source, 7/15/11).
The bill would provide $3.326 billion in FY2012 for House operations, the Capitol Police, Library of Congress, and other House-related agencies. This amount is $227.002 million below FY2011 and $471.765 million below the agencies’ FY2012 request.
The bill does not provide funding for the House child care subsidy, as is typically the case, due to a lack of an authorization for the program.
