President Donald J. Trump Secures Funding to Care for our Veterans, Rebuild Our Military, and Invest in our Infrastructure

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 21, 2018

President donald j. trump SECURES FUNDING TO CARE FOR OUR VETERANS, REBUILD our military, and invest in OUR INFRASTRUCTURE

"My pledge to you, our noble warriors, is that my Administration will support you, and your loved ones, and your amazing families every single day, now and always." - President Donald J. Trump

CARING FOR OUR VETS: President Donald J. Trump is signing legislation that provides historic funding to care for our Nation's veterans.

* President Trump is signing appropriations legislation that will provide $86.5 billion in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the largest dollar amount in history for the VA.

* The legislation provides $73.1 billion for medical care for 7 million patients, including:

o $8.6 billion for mental health services

o $400 million for opioid abuse prevention

o $206 million for suicide prevention outreach

o $270 million for rural veterans' health initiatives

* The legislation provides an additional $1.75 billion above the amount already enacted for FY 2019 to improve ongoing healthcare services and to fund certain VA MISSION Act programs.

* The legislation includes $1.1 billion to modernize the VA's electronic health record system, a desperately needed improvement to provide seamless care to those transitioning from service.

* Oversight and accountability will be strengthened to ensure VA dollars are being used to the best benefit of our veterans.

* The legislation accelerates compensation claims processing for more than 450,000 veterans.

BUILDING OUR DEFENSES: The legislation provides billions of dollars in critical funding to further President Trump's national security priorities and rebuild military infrastructure.

* The legislation provides $15.14 billion to support a strong nuclear national security strategy, including:

o $11.1 billion for nuclear weapons activities to maintain a strong deterrence posture

o $1.70 billion to support the Navy's nuclear powered fleet

o $1.93 billion to keep nuclear materials from getting in the hands of bad actors

* Funding is provided to harden our nation's energy grid against cyber and other attacks, including $120 million for research and development to strengthen our electric grid.

* The legislation will rebuild infrastructure for service members and their families by providing $10.3 billion for 174 military construction projects across the country and overseas.

o Family housing is fully funded with $1.6 billion and $100 million will go to enhancing anti-terrorism, force protection, and safety efforts on military installations

INVESTING IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENERGY: The legislation invests in American infrastructure and energy development.

* The legislation invests in our Nation's water resources, providing $7 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers to maintain and improve our Nation's water infrastructure, including:

o $3.2 billion for navigation projects and studies to maintain and improve our coastal ports and inland waterways

o $2 billion for flood and storm damage reduction projects and activities

* The legislation advances an "all-of-the-above" energy strategy by directing $13.4 billion to the Department of Energy's energy programs, including:

o $740 million for research and development to advance fossil energy technologies

o $1.2 billion for nuclear energy research and development activities

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