It is that time of year when Congress begins to debate the annual appropriations bills for the upcoming fiscal year. And this year is the earliest the House of Representatives has started the appropriations process since 1974. Tackling these appropriations bills is vital to ensuring that Washington can appropriately rein in the overspending that is coming out of our nation's capital.
The House is clearly ready to continue legislating and I wanted to highlight the first two appropriations bills that I supported this week.
I proudly supported the Fiscal Year 2016 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill which ensures our nation's veterans receive their much deserved health, job, and training for the future. We have all seen and heard the issues happening across Veterans Affairs clinics across America and this legislation directs the VA in the right direction.
Included in this bill is additional funding to speed up VA claims processing; tracking progress toward reducing backlog by extending rigorous reporting requirements; and it tightens oversight of taxpayer dollars to address mismanagement. This legislation continues to create a seamless VA and Department of Defense electronic health record and, most importantly, it keeps the VA under the scrutiny of a magnifying glass. And for our men and women that serve in the military, this bill provides the support system and infrastructure to maintain the readiness for those overseas and care for their loved ones.
In addition, the House voted on the Fiscal Year 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations bill. This protects funding for the critical national and regional waterways in America. Also included in this bill is language that prohibits implementation of the "Waters of the U.S." rule, which I have been a staunch opponent due to the devastating effects it would have on our nation's farmers, ranchers, and small businesses.
And for the past few years, I have offered an amendment that would prohibit funding of the Missouri River Ecosystem Restoration Plan (MRERP). MRERP is a duplicative and unnecessary study that is funded on the backs of taxpayers. I was pleased my colleagues in the House, once again, recognized the importance of this amendment and unanimously support it in this year's appropriations bill.
Lastly, I am very pleased to announce that for the first time in six years, the House and Senate came to an agreement on the budget. Not only did both chambers come to an agreement but this budget balances the budget in nine years; it repeals the president's health care law; it does not raise any taxes on Americans; and over the next 10 years it adds 1.2 million jobs to our nation's workforce.
This budget and these two appropriations bills set the vision for a stronger America. This week's work focused on helping hard-working Americans get ahead by building a strong, more competitive economy and nation.
U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., represents the state's 3rd District, which includes Jefferson City. His local office can be reached at 573-635-7232.
Web link: