The House is scheduled to begin consideration of H.R. 5822, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, on Wednesday, July 27, 2010. The bill was introduced by Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX) on July 22, 2010. H.R. 5822 will be considered under a structured rule making fourteen amendments in order. A summary of all the amendments made in order under the rule will be circulated shortly.
FY 2011 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriation Funding Levels
(In Millions of Dollars)
Program | FY 2010 | President's Request | H.R. 5822 | H.R. 5822 vs. FY 2010 | H.R. 5822 vs. Request | Change from FY 2010 |
Total Non-Emergency Discretionary Budget Authority | 78,005 | 75,997 | 75,998 | -2,007 | 1 | -3% |
Total Discretionary (Including Emergency Spending) | 78,005 | 77,255 | 77,256 | -749 | 1 | -1% |
Mandatory Spending | 56,568 | 63,849 | 63,849 | 7,281 | 0 | 13% |
Advanced Appropriations | 48,183 | 50,610 | 50,610 | 2,427 | 0 | 5% |
Total Including Emergency, Mandatory, and Advanced Spending | 182,756 | 191,714 | 191,715 | 8,959 | 1 | 5% |
H.R. 5822 contains a total of $75.9 billion in non-emergency, discretionary budget authority, a decrease of $2 billion or 3 percent below the discretionary spending level for FY 2010. The bill also includes $1.2 billion in emergency spending for military construction overseas. If the emergency spending is included, the total discretionary amount of the bill increases to $77.2 billion or less than one percent below FY 2010.
Funding for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs in FY 2011 also includes $63.8 billion in mandatory spending, which is an increase of $7.2 billion or 13 percent above FY 2010. In addition, the legislation contains $50.6 billion in advance appropriations for VA medical accounts in FY 2012. These advanced appropriations are not scored in FY 2010, but will be spent in the future and will add to budget deficits. Agencies funded through the bill also received $4.4 billion in supplemental appropriations from last year’s “stimulus” bill and $3.3 billion from H.R. 4899, the 2010 Supplemental War Appropriations bill. The bill also includes a total of 523 earmarks, all but one of which was sponsored by Democrats.
TITLE I—Department of Defense and Military Construction
Department of Defense: Provides a total appropriation of $18.7 billion the Department of Defense (DoD), a decrease of $4.9 billion or 21 percent from FY 2010. Funds for the DoD included $13.7 billion for military construction, $1.8 billion for family housing, and $2.3 billion for base realignment.
Military Family Housing: Provides a total of $1.8 billion for family housing maintenance and construction, which is a decrease of $435 million or 19 percent from FY 2010. This is the second consecutive year that funding for construction and maintenance of military family housing units has been cut.
NATO Security Investment Program: Provides $259 million for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Security Investment Program, an increase of $62 million or 31 percent over FY 2010. The program finances the provision of the installations and facilities needed to support the roles of NATO Strategic Commands. These investments cover such installations and facilities as communications and information systems, radar, military headquarters, airfields, fuel pipelines and storage, and harbors.
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC): Provides $2.3 billion for the re-stationing of overseas U.S. military personnel to the United States and base closures, a decrease of $5 billion or 68 percent from FY 2010.
Use of Funds: Prohibits funds from being made available to acquire land, provide for site preparation, or install utilities for any family housing, unless it has been made available in appropriations for military construction.
Steel Procurement: Prohibits the procurement of steel unless U.S. producers and manufacturers are able to compete.
TITLE II—Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Benefits Administration: Includes a total mandatory and discretionary funding level of $64 billion for the Veterans Benefits Administration, an increase of $7 billion or 13 percent. The vast majority of the Administration’s funds are provided through mandatory spending for compensation, pensions, and other benefits that were established in previous legislation.
Readjustment Benefits: Funding provided to the Veterans’ Benefits Administration includes $10 billion in readjustment benefits which finances the education and training of veterans and servicemembers whose initial entry to active duty took place on or after July 1, 1985. The funding level represents an increase of $1.2 billion or 13 percent over FY 2010.
Veterans Health Administration: Provides a total of $51 billion for the Veterans Health Administration, an increase of $6.1 billion or 14 percent over FY 2010. Funding for the Veterans Health Administration medical services comes solely from advanced appropriations form previous years. Advanced appropriations funding for the VA Administration in FY 2011 includes $37.1 billion for Veterans Medical Services, $5.5 billion for Medical Support Compliance and $5.7 billion for Medical Facilities. Advanced appropriations contained in the underlying bill will be used to finance these programs in FY 2012.
Information Technology: Provides $3.2 billion for VA information technology needs at medical facilities, a decrease of $85 million or 3 percent from FY 2010.
Operating Expenses: Provides $2.6 billion for general VA operating expenses, an increase of $514 million or 25 percent over FY 2010. In FY 2010, operating expense was increased by 13 percent.
Other Construction: Provides $1.1 billion for major VA construction projects, a decrease of $28 million or 2 percent over FY 2010. The bill also provides $508 million for minor VA construction projects, a decrease of $195 million or 28 percent from FY 2010.
VA Inspector General: Provides $115 million for the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, an increase of $6 million or 6 percent above FY 2009.
Prosthetic Medical Research: Provides $590 million for medical and prosthetic research, including trauma and mental health research. This level is an increase of $9 million or 2 percent above FY 2010.
Advanced Appropriations: Provides $50.6 billion in advanced appropriations for the Veterans Health Administration for medical services, medical support, and medical facilities. Advanced appropriations count against the budget cap for the year in which they become available—FY 2012 in this case—but not in the year the appropriation is made. As such, advanced appropriations are often employed as a budgetary “gimmick” to hide dramatic increases in spending in later years. For instance, in FY 2011 VA will receive $48 billion in funding from advance appropriations which are not included in the CBO analysis on this FY 2011 VA appropriations bill.
TITLE III—Related Agencies
American Battle Monuments Commission: The American Battle Monuments Commission, responsible for operating and supporting U.S. military monuments and cemeteries around the world, is funded at $86 million an increase of $6 million or 8 percent above FY 2010.
Army Cemetery Expenses: Provides $40 million for the operation of Arlington National Cemetery, the same amount as FY 2010.
Armed Forces Retirement Home: Provides $71 million for the Armed Forces Retirement Home Trust Fund, an increase of $9 million or 15 percent for the operation of the Retirement Home.
Veterans Claims: Provides $90 million for the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, an increase of $63 million or 233 percent over FY 2010.
TITLE IV--OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS
Emergency Construction Funding: Provides a total of $1.2 billion in overseas contingency funding for military construction abroad. This funding is designated as emergency spending and is thus not included in the regular discretionary total for Military Construction or the bill as a whole.
H.R. 5822 Spending Levels
(in Millions)
Program | FY 2010 | President's Request | H.R. 5822 | H.R. 5822 vs. FY 2010 | H.R. 5822 vs. Request | Change from FY 2010 |
TITLE I-- Department of Defense | ||||||
Department of Defense | 23,686 | 18,746 | 18,745 | -4,941 | -1 | -21% |
Army Military Construction | 3,719 | 4,079 | 4,052 | 333 | -27 | 9% |
Navy and Marines Military Construction | 3,769 | 3,879 | 3,587 | -182 | -292 | -5% |
Air Force Military Construction | 1,412 | 1,311 | 1,276 | -136 | -35 | -10% |
Defense-Wide Military Construction | 2,943 | 3,118 | 3,000 | 57 | -118 | 2% |
Reserve Components | 1,622 | 1,438 | 1,810 | 188 | 372 | 12% |
NATO Security Investment | 197 | 259 | 259 | 62 | 0 | 31% |
Family Housing Maintenance and Construction | 2,258 | 1,823 | 1,823 | -435 | 0 | -19% |
Chemical Demilitarization Construction | 152 | 125 | 125 | -27 | 0 | -18% |
Base Realignment and Closure | 7,455 | 2,354 | 2,354 | -5,101 | 0 | -68% |
TITLE II--Department of Veterans Affairs | ||||||
Veterans Benefits Administration | 56,734 | 64,013 | 64,013 | 7,279 | 0 | 13% |
Compensation and Pensions | 47,396 | 54,276 | 53,492 | 6,096 | -784 | 13% |
Readjustment Benefits | 9,232 | 9,587 | 10,440 | 1,208 | 853 | 13% |
Veterans Insurance and Indemnities | 49 | 63 | 63 | 14 | 0 | 29% |
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Veterans Health Administration | 45,077 | 51,200 | 51,200 | 6,123 | 0 | 14% |
Medical Services (Advanced From Prior Years) | 34,708 | 37,136 | 37,136 | 2,428 | 0 | 7% |
Medical Support Compliance (Advanced From Prior Years) | 4,930 | 5,535 | 5,535 | 605 | 0 | 12% |
Medical Facilities (Advanced From Prior Years) | 4,859 | 5,740 | 5,740 | 881 | 0 | 18% |
Medical and Prosthetic Research | 581 | 590 | 590 | 9 | 0 | 2% |
National Cemetery Administration | 250 | 251 | 259 | 9 | 8 | 4% |
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Departmental Administration | 7,545 | 7,754 | 7,743 | 198 | -11 | 3% |
General Operating Expenses | 2,087 | 2,588 | 2,601 | 514 | 13 | 25% |
Information Technology Systems | 3,307 | 3,307 | 3,222 | -85 | -85 | -3% |
Office of the Inspector General | 109 | 109 | 115 | 6 | 6 | 6% |
Construction of Major Projects | 1,194 | 1,151 | 1,166 | -28 | 15 | -2% |
Construction of Minor Projects | 703 | 468 | 508 | -195 | 40 | -28% |
Grants for State Extended Care Construction | 100 | 85 | 85 | -15 | 0 | -15% |
Grants for State Veterans Cemetery Construction | 46 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
TITLE III--RELATED AGENCIES | ||||||
Related Agencies | 280 | 283 | 287 | 7 | 4 | 3% |
American Battle Monuments Commission | 80 | 84 | 86 | 6 | 2 | 8% |
US Court of Appeals for Vets Claims | 27 | 90 | 90 | 63 | 0 | 233% |
Army Cemetery Expenses | 40 | 38 | 40 | 0 | 2 | 0% |
Armed Forces Retirement Home | 62 | 71 | 71 | 9 | 0 | 15% |
TITLE IV--OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS | ||||||
Overseas Contingency Operations (Designated as Emergency Spending) | 1,399 | 1,258 | 1,258 | -141 | -141 | -10% |
Military Construction, Army | 924 | 930 | 930 | 6 | 6 | 1% |
Military Construction, Air Force | 475 | 281 | 281 | -194 | -194 | -41% |
Military Construction, Defense-Wide | 0 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 0% |
TOTAL FUNDING LEVELS | ||||||
Total Non-Emergency Discretionary Budget Authority | 78,005 | 75,997 | 75,998 | -2,007 | 1 | -3% |
Total Discretionary (Including Emergency Spending) | 78,005 | 77,255 | 77,256 | -749 | 1 | -1% |
Mandatory Spending | 56,568 | 63,849 | 63,849 | 7,281 | 0 | 13% |
Advanced Appropriations | 48,183 | 50,610 | 50,610 | 2,427 | 0 | 5% |
Total Including Emergency, Mandatory, and Advanced Spending | 182,756 | 191,714 | 191,715 | 8,959 | 1 | 5% |
According to the CBO, H.R. 5822 would appropriate $75.998 billion in non-emergency discretionary budget authority for FY 2011.
