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OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
6:50 PM – Thursday, June 26, 2025
House Republicans advanced their first appropriations bill for fiscal year 2026 on Wednesday, authorizing over $450 billion in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), military construction, and related programs.
The measure passed largely along party lines, with only two Democrats—Representatives Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington—crossing the aisle to support the legislation alongside Republicans.
House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) praised the legislation on Wednesday, emphasizing that it fully funds “veteran health care and benefits, marking enhanced investment under President Trump.”
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“It strengthens quality of life for troops and their loved ones through housing and childcare resources,” he said. “And it reaffirms our commitment to peace through strength by providing for base infrastructure and readiness efforts.”
However, Democrats have continued to show strong resistance to the financial package.
Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, argued on Wednesday that the bill would redirect “billions of taxpayer dollars to private hospitals and clinics, leading to longer wait times, poor communication and coordination, a diminished quality of care for our veterans, and higher costs for taxpayers.”
“This is a step toward privatization of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Because if you hollow out the VA, if you make it impossible for people to be able to access their benefits, then they will say, ‘Well, we cannot trust the VA.’ And they will move in the direction of privatization, and that is where this administration wants to go.”
The legislation allocates approximately $152 billion in discretionary funding for fiscal year 2026, representing a 3% increase over current levels. In total, it would provide around $453 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, with $300 billion designated for mandatory programs.
Republicans have emphasized increased funding in the bill for the Department of Veterans Affairs, military construction, and family housing. Nonetheless, Democrats have continued to fault Republicans for omitting advanced funding for the Toxic Exposure Fund, while arguing that the bill falls nearly $1 billion short of what is needed for military construction.
Senior GOP appropriators have also acknowledged that further revisions may be necessary as the annual appropriations process unfolds and they await additional guidance from the Trump administration regarding its fiscal priorities for 2026 and beyond.
To date, House Republican appropriators have advanced one-third of the fiscal 2026 appropriations bills, with party leaders aiming to complete committee passage of all measures before the August recess.
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