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Press Releases

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) applauded Senate passage of Fiscal Year 2020 Appropriations bills to fund the government and provide critical federal resources for Arkansans. 

“Funding the government is a basic responsibility of Congress that provides accountability and transparency to the American people. Passage of these pieces of legislation creates certainty for the military and federal agencies as they plan for the future and fund their current priorities,” Boozman said.  

As Chairman of the Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Subcommittee, Boozman authored a portion of the funding package that includes full funding of the VA MISSION Actand supports the newly enactedBlue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act.

“I’m pleased we were able to fund these critical programs and support the needs of our veterans by increasing resources to prevent veteran suicide, improve community care for those who served in uniform and help women veterans get the health services they deserve,” Boozman said. 

The bills include several Arkansas-related priorities: 

  • $47 million for a C-130H/J Fuselage Trainer facility at Little Rock Air Force Base;
  • $1.1 million for Army National Guard range expansion to improve the multi-purpose machine gun range for mounted unit training at Fort Chaffee;
  • Over $20 million for munitions manufacturing at Pine Bluff Arsenal;
  • Over $525 million for Army, Air Force and Navy/Marine Corps rockets produced in Arkansas;
  • Funding to support the implementation of the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act;
  • $9.4 billion for veterans mental health services, including $222 million for suicide prevention;
  • $585 million for health care services specifically for female veterans;
  • $66.7 million to support the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) research to promote and protect public health conducted at the National Center for Toxicological Research. This facility is located in Jefferson, Arkansas near Pine Bluff;
  • $5 million to help meet underserved or unmet water infrastructure needs and support the program Boozman authored to create an innovative approach to modernizing critical water infrastructure;
  • Funding for Community Health Centers (CHC). In Arkansas, there are more than 130 CHC facilities that help nearly 200,000 people get the medical, dental, vision and behavioral health care services they need.
  • $30 million for the Delta Regional Authority which provides grants to the Delta region and funding for basic public infrastructure development and transportation improvements.
  • Increases in funding for research in which Arkansas schools and companies are engaged:
    • More than $15 million for silicon carbide research to make smaller components for more sophisticated, modern weapons;
    • $3.5 million for synthetic medical training.

For additional Arkansas-specific programs that received funding click here.

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