[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 12, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S6122]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         APPROPRIATIONS Minibus

  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, sometime soon the Senate will be voting 
on the first fiscal year 2019 appropriations minibus. It has been a 
long time since we have brought conferenced bills to the floor, and I 
am pleased that the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and 
Related Agencies Appropriations bill is a part of this package. This 
bill is the result of a bipartisan commitment to return to regular 
order, and I thank Chairman Shelby and Vice Chairman Leahy for leading 
the Senate in this process and providing all Members a voice in 
determining how taxpayer dollars are spent.
  We have worked hard with our House colleagues over the past two 
months to develop a thoughtful and responsible conference report that 
took into account the input of Members on both sides of the aisle. The 
conference committee made thoughtful decisions about how to provide 
maximum readiness for the warfighters and prioritize investments at the 
Department of Veterans Affairs so it can take care of our veterans.
  This bill provides $97.1 billion in discretionary spending, which is 
$5.1 billion over last year's level. Within that, the VA is provided a 
record level of resources at $86.5 billion in discretionary funding. 
That is $5 billion over last year's level and $1.1 billion over the 
President's request. These resources will provide healthcare and other 
important benefits earned by U.S. servicemembers.
  Included in the bill is $1.25 billion more than requested for medical 
services and community care to support the VA's traditional community 
care programs as it transitions to a new and improved program. The bill 
includes $8.6 billion for mental health services, $865 million for the 
caregivers program, and $1.8 billion for VA homelessness programs, 
including $380 million for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families 
Program. It includes $400 million for opioid misuse prevention and 
treatment and $270 million for rural health initiatives.
  The bill provides $10.3 billion to support military construction and 
family housing needs, a $241 million increase over last year's level.
  It also funds $921 million for overseas contingency operations and 
the European Deterrence Initiative, $171 million increase over last 
year's level. In total, 190 military construction projects are funded 
to restore warfighter readiness and increase lethality of our 
installations within the United States and around the globe.
  This bill also funds improvements to fuel logistics at Little Rock 
Air Force Base, in addition to a measure to move forward with 
development on the base's runway.
  I am also pleased that the package increases funding to the Veterans 
History Project, an initiative led by the Library of Congress that 
builds an archive of oral histories and personal documents of the men 
and women who served our country in uniform. This is a unique 
collection of memories of our veterans who served from World War I to 
the Iraq war and other recent conflicts. It is an important program 
that ensures future generations understand the sacrifices our combat 
veterans made to protect our freedoms. Preserving the experiences of 
our veterans is an honorable way to recognize their bravery and 
dedication to our country.
  Since its beginning, approximately two decades ago, the project has 
collected the stories of nearly 1,400 veterans from Arkansas, and 
nearly 50 of those have been conducted by my office. We are training 
more and more Arkansans to conduct these interviews for submission to 
the project.
  These are all things that we can be excited about related to this 
bill. A lot of time and a lot of energy has gone into putting this 
legislation together. I would like to thank Senator Schatz and his 
staff, including Chad Schulken and Jason McMahon, and Chairman Carter 
and Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz and their staffs for working hard 
to address the needs of our servicemembers and our veterans.
  I would also like to thank very much my own staff, including Patrick 
Magnuson, Jennifer Bastin, Joanne Hoff, and Carlos Elias for their 
dedication and hard work in moving this bill through the committee 
process, to the Senate floor, and through conference negotiations.
  Finally, I want to thank Chairman Shelby and Vice Chairman Leahy, 
along with Chairman Frelinghuysen and Ranking Member Lowey, for the 
dedication and leadership they provided throughout this bipartisan 
process.
  I strongly urge my colleagues in the Senate to support final passage 
so we can get this bill to the President's desk.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.