President Trump signs bill to keep promises to veterans, military, Central Washington

Last week, President Trump signed appropriations legislation approved by Congress, H.R. 5895, the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, to fund some of the highest priorities of the federal government, including health care for our veterans.

In addition, the legislation provides resources for Hanford cleanup and research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Through their service, our veterans have earned the care promised to them, and the federal government owes them more than a simple “thank you” for that service.

The motto of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is, “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.”

I voted for H.R. 5895, which provides $86.5 billion in funding for the VA and our veterans. That is the largest dollar amount in the agency’s history: a funding increase of 6 percent.

The funding includes strong support for mental health services, opioid abuse prevention, suicide preventions, and rural veterans’ health initiatives.

It provides flexibility to veterans facing long lines at the VA for care, giving them the choice of seeing a private doctor. It also make veterans’ health records electronic to improve efficiency.

Building, renovating, and repairing military houses, schools, training centers, and other facilities on military bases are also made a priority in this bill.

The legislation includes funding for research and development to strengthen our nation’s electricity grid and other energy research programs, which are research projects of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in the Tri-Cities.

Nuclear weapons security programs are made a priority in H.R. 5895. More than $2.4 billion is allocated to continue the federal government’s legal and moral obligation to the people of Central Washington to clean up the Hanford Site.

I was proud to work to increase the amount of funding for Hanford from the Administration’s original request because the federal government must fulfill its promise to keep cleanup on track.

H.R. 5895 also provides for the nation’s water infrastructure, and the conference report language expressed grave concerns of many in the Mid-Columbia, which I share, regarding a single federal judge’s order that has a huge impact on the reliability of the Federal Columbia River Power System.

The judge ordered increased spill at the Lower Snake River dams in the name of helping fish passage, but his ruling ignored science showing that great spill levels actually harm juvenile salmon by subjecting them to gases and the fish-equivalent of “the bends.”

The bill’s report makes clear that no funds for federal dam removal are included in this act, but I was disappointed that despite the many benefits of fully-functioning dams on the Lower Snake River, the Senate failed to keep House-approved language I worked on to end the increased spill at the dams that have cost $40 million.

I am fully committed to continuing to work with my colleagues in Congress to address the damaging spill in order to keep our dams functioning effectively.

On signing the wide-ranging legislation, President Trump said, “With this legislation, we are securing a better future for our citizens. We are modernizing our nation’s infrastructure. And we are building military bases worthy of our great heroes. We are ensuring that our brave veterans are respected and cherished like never before.”

I could not agree more.