S.Amdt. 2977

SA 2977, submitted by Ms. Collins, is an amendment to bill H.R. 3944. Its purpose is to replace the entire text following the enacting clause with new provisions to establish the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, and Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Act, 2026.

The amendment aims to change the bill by adding the following:

• Funding for Military Construction: It provides specific dollar amounts for the acquisition, construction, and equipment of facilities for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, National Guard, and Reserves, as well as defense-wide activities and NATO security investments.
• Funding for Veterans Affairs: It allocates funds for various VA services, including:
  • Benefits Administration: Compensation, pensions, readjustment benefits, and housing loans.
  • Health Administration: Medical services, community care, medical facilities, and prosthetic research.
  • National Cemetery Administration: Operations and maintenance.
  • Specific Funds: The Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund and the Veterans Electronic Health Record system.
• Administrative Rules: It adds rules regarding how money can be transferred between accounts, requirements for reporting expenditures to Congress, and restrictions on how funds are used (such as prohibiting the use of funds to close certain naval stations or to conduct specific types of animal research).
• Reporting and Accountability: It mandates that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense provide expenditure plans and regular reports to the Committees on Appropriations.