Subject: Military Construction-VA Appropriations Fact Sheet
From: CQ House Action Reports <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 18 May 2016 04:49:12 +0000
List-Id: <cqhar.lists.cqrollcall.com>

House Action Reports Fact Sheet 114-23 is now available on our website: http://www.cq.com/doc/har-4890025

The Fact Sheet deals with HR 4974, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations for FY 2017. The bill provides a total of $184.2 billion for FY 2017 to fund military construction projects and programs of the Veterans Affairs Department, $13.1 billion (8%) more than comparable FY 2016 funding but 1% less than requested. It includes $81.6 billion in discretionary spending subject to caps ($1.8 billion, or 2%, more than FY 2016 but $1.2 billion less than requested), $102.5 billion in mandatory spending, and $172 million in overseas contingency (OCO) funding that does not count against discretionary caps. The measure increases VA discretionary spending for FY 2017 by almost 3%, while reducing military construction by nearly 6%. It provides funding to hire 242 new VA staff who would be dedicated to helping reduce the VA's backlog in processing disability compensation claims, but also prohibits the payment of performance bonuses to VA's Senior Executive Service employees.

The administration has expressed numerous concerns with the measure, including that it does not fully fund the president's request and includes "objectionable restrictions" on performance awards for senior VA officials. It states that if the final bill includes "problematic ideological provisions that are beyond the scope of funding legislation," the president's senior advisers would recommend a veto.

The House will consider the bill this week under an open rule.

Chuck Conlon
CQ House Action Reports

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