Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik voted to pass the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY2025 which includes Stefanik’s language for a $10 million increase in funds for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA)’s planning and design of an East Coast Missile Defense site at Fort Drum in Jefferson County, New York.
The bill also fully funds veterans’ healthcare, benefits, and Veterans’ Affairs programs and blocks the implementation or enforcement of the Biden Administration’s executive orders on DEI as well as 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 our commitment to veterans by:
- Fully funding veterans’ health care programs.
- Fully funding veterans’ benefits and VA programs.
Bolsters our national security by:
- Providing robust funding for the Indo-Pacific region, fully funding projects in Guam, and increasing resources for INDOPACOM to improve the Department of Defense posture in the region.
- Maintaining the prohibitions on the closure of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and the use of military construction funds to build facilities for detainees on U.S. soil.
Focuses the Executive Branch on its core responsibilities by:
- Reaffirming the political limits outlined in the Hatch Act, particularly those of lobbying Congress and using official resources for political purposes.
- Prohibiting the use of funds to promote or advance critical race theory.
- Prohibiting the implementation, administration, or enforcement of the Biden Administration’s executive orders on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Supports American values and principles by:
- Prohibiting taxpayer dollars from being used for abortion, using Hyde language which includes exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.
- Protecting the 2nd Amendment rights of veterans, preventing VA from sending information to the FBI about veterans without a judge’s consent. Prohibiting VA from processing medical care claims for illegal aliens.
