House rules hearing spotlights disputes over FY2026 MilCon‑VA bill funding and VA policy riders

Representative Carter, the bill’s sponsor in testimony to the Rules Committee, said the FY2026 allocation for the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies bill totals $152,000,000,000 and described the measure as "a special bill because it supports our troops, their families, and the nation's veterans." Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the ranking member of the MilCon‑VA subcommittee, said the majority’s approach inserted partisan riders and left insufficient oversight, calling some elements “a clear case of intentional fiscal negligence.”

Why this matters: The MilCon‑VA bill funds medical care, benefits and construction projects relied on by millions of veterans and service members. Committee witnesses and members disputed both the policy riders attached to the bill and the process used to assemble it — particularly a large requested increase for community care, advance funding for the Toxic Exposure Fund and reported staffing changes at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Appropriations witnesses described major line items in the bill as presented: a total discretionary allocation of $152 billion for FY2026 for the MilCon‑VA account and an increase in several accounts…