U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, District 21 | Official U.S. House headshot
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, District 21 | Official U.S. House headshot
Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Elise Stefanik voted today to pass the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY2025. The bill includes a $10 million increase in funds for the Missile Defense Agency’s planning and design of an East Coast Missile Defense site at Fort Drum in Jefferson County, New York.
The legislation also fully funds veterans’ healthcare, benefits, and Veterans’ Affairs programs. Additionally, it blocks the implementation or enforcement of the Biden Administration’s executive orders on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and supports American values by protecting the 2nd Amendment rights of veterans.
“Building upon my successful efforts to secure Fort Drum as the location for a third missile defense site on the East Coast, I am proud to deliver an additional $10 million for the planning and design of this third site through the passage of this appropriations bill,” said Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. “Fort Drum is uniquely positioned to house our nation’s third missile defense interceptor site and first on the East Coast which will improve the U.S. homeland missile defense architecture to better protect against adversaries’ increasing and evolving ballistic missile capabilities.”
Specifically, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act:
Honors commitments to veterans by:
- Fully funding veterans’ health care programs.
- Fully funding veterans’ benefits and VA programs.
Bolsters national security by:
- Providing robust funding for the Indo-Pacific region.
- Fully funding projects in Guam.
- Increasing resources for INDOPACOM to improve Department of Defense posture in the region.
- Maintaining prohibitions on closing Naval Station Guantanamo Bay.
- Prohibiting military construction funds from being used to build facilities for detainees on U.S. soil.
Focuses on Executive Branch responsibilities by:
- Reaffirming political limits outlined in the Hatch Act.
- Prohibiting use of funds to promote or advance critical race theory.
- Prohibiting implementation or enforcement of Biden Administration’s DEI executive orders.
Supports American values by:
- Prohibiting taxpayer dollars from being used for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or life-threatening conditions.
- Protecting 2nd Amendment rights of veterans by preventing VA from sending information about veterans to FBI without judicial consent.
- Prohibiting VA from processing medical care claims for illegal aliens.
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