McCollum Statement on Appropriations Committee Passing FY 2020 Defense Funding Bill

WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.), Vice Chair of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, today joined House Appropriations Democrats in voting to approve the FY 2020 Defense funding bill, which provides $690.2 billion in discretionary spending for the Department of Defense, including operations and maintenance, readiness activities, research and development, equipment modernization, and health and quality-of-life programs for our troops and military families.

The bill also includes provisions important to Minnesotans and the American people:

• Health: The bill provides $33.46 billion in base discretionary funding for Defense Health Programs, and adds $920 million for the congressionally directed medical research program.
• Environment: Provides $1.26 billion for Environmental Restoration activities, $188 million above the request, and $14.8 million more than last year. Critically, the bill also includes $13 million for the study and assessment of former and current domestic military installations known to have PFOS/PFOA contamination.
• Supporting our troops and military families: The bill provides full funding necessary to support a 3.1 percent military pay raise; It increases funding for the Department and Services' Sexual Assault Prevention and Response programs. The bill also provides an additional $70.7 million for upgrades to childcare facilities and report language directing the services to present innovative ideas to assist our service members with this quality of life issue.

"This funding bill makes smart investments to defend Americans against evolving threats like climate change and prepare for future challenges, while meeting the needs of our service members and their families," Congresswoman McCollum said. "Ensuring our troops live and work in facilities that are environmentally sound is critical to ensuring they can complete their missions safely and to the best of their ability. Additionally, providing adequate health care services, including mental health services, is paramount to supporting our service members."

A summary of the bill is here. The text of the bill is here. The bill report is here.

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