07.17.25

Senate Appropriations Committee Approves MilCon-VA, CJS Bills

 

Committee approves Military Construction-VA bill in a 26-3 vote — BILL SUMMARY HERE

 

Committee approves Commerce-Justice-Science bill in a 19-10 vote — BILL SUMMARY HERE

  

***WATCH and READ: Senator Murray’s opening remarks***

 

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee met for a full committee markup to consider its draft fiscal year 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations act and to resume consideration of its draft fiscal year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill after it was taken up last week but not ultimately advanced out of Committee by the majority.

  

“It is a good thing that by working together, we were able to put together a solid Military Construction-VA bill that invests in folks back home. This is the way the process should work: Senators coming together and finding common ground on common sense investments. But I do have to acknowledge the elephant in the room here. It’s no secret that the path to advancing more of our bills is going to be harder because of the unprecedented, partisan rescissions bill that Republicans just passed,” said Vice Chair Patty Murray in her opening remarks. “It’s a dangerous new precedent. And it poses some hard questions my colleagues across the aisle need to start answering. Because Russ Vought has not been subtle: round two of these partisan cuts are on their way soon. He said as much just this morning. So, what do my colleagues want to do? Do they want to turn this into the Rescissions Committee? Because that is one path we could end up going down, and as of now, we are one big, alarming step down it.”

  

In a 26-3 vote, the Committee approved the draft fiscal year 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

  

“I want to thank Chair Collins and Vice Chair Murray, and Senator Boozman as well for his bipartisan work to craft this legislation, which will support vital and overdue construction and upgrades at defense installations in all of our states,” said Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Ranking Member of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. “We all are proud of the installations in our states and the men and women who serve there, and this legislation makes important investments in those defense installations in military readiness and military quality of life. This legislation also includes important policy to support the work of the VA and the sacred trust between the nation and those who have served in uniform to improve the quality and timeliness of the health care and service and benefits that they've earned. It also includes important bipartisan provisions to protect the VA workforce to ensure that veterans are never denied care or timely access to care as a result of damaging or arbitrary cuts to the VA workforce. This legislation reflects real bipartisan work to support our military and to support our veterans, and I echo Senator Boozman's gratitude expressed to our staffs for the hard work that they’ve done.”

  

“As the daughter of a World War II veteran—the programs we fund in our Mil-Con-VA bill are very personal to me. Doing right by our vets—getting them the care they need, and the support they were promised is a moral obligation. The bottom line is this bill delivers the funding needed to support safe and updated infrastructure for our troops and their families, and keep our word to our veterans,” said Vice Chair Murray in comments on the bill.

  

The following amendments to the bill were considered during today’s mark up:

  • Manager’s package offered by Chair Boozman
    • Adopted by voice vote.
  • Murphy amendment to require VA to publicly report the number of veterans who should have been reported to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) pursuant to federal law and the number of suicides occurring from this population.
    • Republicans rejected the amendment in a 15-14 party line vote.
  • Merkley amendment to allow VA clinicians to support the ability of veterans to participate in medicinal cannabis programs in states where such programs are legal.
    • Adopted by voice vote.
  • Merkley amendment to designate $1.3 billion in emergency funding for state homes for veterans.
    • Debated; withdrawn.
  • Merkley amendment to prohibit funds provided in any fiscal year 2026 appropriations act from being eligible for rescissions or deferrals under the Impoundment Control Act’s fast-track procedures, ensuring they can only be considered through annual appropriations bills.
    • Republicans rejected the amendment in a 15-14 party line vote.

  

A summary of the bill is available HERE.

  

Final bill text, report, and adopted amendments will be available HERE later today.

  

In a 19-10 vote, the Committee approved the draft fiscal year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.

  

“I am deeply disappointed by the partisan process that unfolded today. Despite the Administration’s short-sighted and harmful proposed budget, we worked to ensure this CJS appropriations bill includes important investments in Americans’ priorities—ranging from the safety of our communities to the future of space exploration. Furthermore, we worked to maintain critical funding for a wide array of programs—including investments in NASA Goddard’s science missions, the Office on Violence Against Women, and NOAA. But, despite the initial, bipartisan adoption of my amendment last week, the majority did a partisan about-face, and has reversed course on addressing the Trump administration’s unauthorized attempt to reprogram funds to move the FBI to the Ronald Reagan Building instead of the site selected following a years-long, competitive process, in Greenbelt, Maryland. Given this backwards action, I was unable to support this legislation. I will continue working to bring the FBI Headquarters to Greenbelt, Maryland, and I will not support a penny in funding for a headquarters elsewhere—especially one that does not meet the security and mission needs of the FBI,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

  

“These are investments that protect our communities and that protect our leadership in science and innovation—from funding for NOAA’s weather forecasting abilities, new investments in grants to prevent violence against women, and resources to keep communities across America safe to rejecting efforts to slash funding for NSF, collapse and weaken the ATF, or cut funding for oversight at DOJ,” Vice Chair Murray said in comments on the bill at last week’s mark up. But Vice Chair Murray said: “It is outrageous that this administration has, on a dime, decided it will attempt to reprogram funding secured for the FBI headquarters after this Committee provided funding for this relocation over many years—and a competitive process was run. This is not how things should work—full stop—and I am glad this Committee took action to ensure Congress’ intent was reflected when it took up Senator Van Hollen’s amendment. We, unfortunately, recessed; this bill stalled out; and now the majority is working to undo the bipartisan step we rightly took to address this issue. Last night, we watched as a majority—for the first time ever—clawed back funding we provided on a bipartisan basis. And here the Trump administration is once again ignoring congressional intent—and thumbing its nose at Congress. Neither of these developments are acceptable, and I am afraid I can no longer support this bill.”

  

The following amendments to the bill were considered during last week’s mark up:

  • Manager’s package offered by Chair Moran
    • Adopted by voice vote.
  • Van Hollen amendment to prohibit the use of funds for the purpose of moving the FBI Headquarters from its current location in the J. Edgar Hoover Building to any location other than the site determined by the GSA, as announced in November 2023.
    • Adopted in a 15-14 vote. Senator Murkowski joined Democrats in supporting the amendment.
  • Durbin amendment to prohibit funds in this bill or any other act from being used to transfer a decommissioned space shuttle from one location to another. Republicans’ reconciliation package provided $85 million to help facilitate the transfer of the Discovery space shuttle from the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia—where it is free for guests to visit—to Space Center Houston, a priority of the Senate’s Texas delegation. NASA and the Smithsonian Institution estimate the true cost to taxpayers of such a transfer would exceed $300 million.
    • Debated; withdrawn.
  • Britt amendment to increase funding for the FBI’s construction account by $45 million and decrease funding for the Census by the same amount.
    • Debated; withdrawn.
  • Schatz amendment to protect the National Weather Service from President Trump’s staffing cuts and require NWS to maintain no fewer than the number of full-time permanent federal employees employed on September 30, 2024.
    • Republicans rejected the amendment in a 15-14 party line vote.
  • Baldwin amendment to require the reinstatement of all cancelled National Science Foundation grants and awards except in cases of financial mismanagement.
    • Republicans rejected the amendment in a 15-14 party line vote.

  

Following adoption of the Van Hollen amendment last week, the majority recessed the markup, halting consideration of the bill until today. The following amendments to the bill were considered today as the committee took the bill back up:

  • Moran amendment to strike the previously-adopted amendment offered by Senator Van Hollen on the FBI headquarters.
    • Republicans adopted the amendment in a 15-14 party line vote.
  • Baldwin amendment to require the reinstatement of all cancelled National Science Foundation grants and awards except in cases of financial mismanagement, research fraud, or malfeasance.
    • Republicans rejected the amendment in a 15-14 party line vote.

  

A summary of the bill is available HERE.

  

Final bill text, report, and adopted amendments will be available HERE later today.

  

###