Tester statement on the MilCon VA Appropriations markup

(U.S. Senate) – Senator Jon Tester, Ranking Member of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement after today’s markup:

“I have a number of concerns about whether the bill before us — as currently written — will meet the needs of our veterans. Now is not the time to cut the pay for a medical workforce struggling with low morale and crisis-level shortages, particularly in rural areas. And now is not the time to short-change emerging medical care priorities, whether it’s funding for medical facilities or medical services. But I support reporting this bill to the full committee, where it can be fully considered. And I’m hopeful we can amend the bill so it can better meet the needs of the men and women who bravely served our nation.”

A summary of the 2016 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agency Appropriations bill is available here.