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Now, while I have been very critical of Washington's direction in respect to the stimulous and the various bailouts, this is a huge win for our Soldiers, Veterans and their Families. I don't know how this can be construed as stimulous, but I certainly will not complain about money well spent on those who have sacrificed so much so that I, like you have the opportunity to voice our opinions - walk down the street without fear - and lay our head down at night without worrying if we will wake in the morning.
The Senate's economic stimulus package mirrored the House version in that it includes funding for military and Veterans Affairs construction projects. $2.4 billion in military construction funding includes:
- Child Development Centers: $353.8 million for child development centers at U.S. military installations.
- Health and Dental Clinics: $314.5 million for military family health care clinics.
- Warrior Transition Complexes: $505 million to meet the medical and social service needs of wounded military personnel and their families.
- Military Family Housing construction, repair, and upgrades: $135 million to improve housing conditions and speed the availability of housing to military families.
- Barracks and Dormitories: $831.5 million to provide needed new and replacement housing for America's military troops.
- Army National Guard $150 million for community-based readiness centers.
- $3.2 billion for Facilities Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization to be used to invest in energy efficiency projects and to improve the repair and modernization of Department of Defense facilities to include Defense Health facilities.
VA construction funding ($3.7 billion) includes:
- Hospital and cemetery construction: $994 million to begin construction of new hospitals and expedite the construction of projects already underway, and $111.5 million for national cemetery construction.
- Minor construction: $939.8 million for construction projects, repairs and expansion of VA medical facilities, VA national cemeteries, and Veterans Benefits Administration facilities and to initiate energy conservation projects.
- Medical facilities repair and maintenance: $1.37 billion to address the backlog of maintenance and repairs at VA medical facilities.
- Grants for State Extended Care Facilities: $258 million for the repair and construction of State long-term care veterans' homes.
- National cemetery infrastructure repair: $60 million repairs to national cemeteries and monuments.
Just a fraction of the debt we as Americans owe to our Heros. Credit to our elected leaders for getting this part right.
