House Appropriations Subcommittee reports FY2026 military construction, VA bill amid protests over privatization and policy riders

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies voted to favorably report the fiscal year 2026 military construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill to the full committee following a recorded roll call that ended 9–6 in favor of reporting the measure.

The markup advanced a bill the chair described as providing the Department of Veterans Affairs and related agencies just over $134,000,000,000 in nondefense discretionary funding and $300,000,000,000 in mandatory funding for veterans programs; it also includes about $180,000,000,000 in infrastructure investments for service members, according to the chair’s opening remarks. The motion to report was made by Representative Rutherford and carried after a recorded roll call.

Why it matters: members on both sides of the aisle praised the committee’s bipartisan history but several Democrats and some Republicans said the measure moves funding away from VA medical centers toward private-sector community care, contains riders restricting VA policy on reproductive care and reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), and does not…