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Boozman Urges Support for Appropriations Bill Funding Veterans, Servicemembers and Families’ Priorities
Senator, as Chairman of MilCon-VA Subcommittee, Highlights Open and Bipartisan Process to Craft Legislation
Jul 23 2025
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, encouraged his colleagues to support a procedural vote to advance the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Act. The bipartisan bill advanced out of the full Appropriations Committee last week by a vote of 26-3.
Click here to watch Chairman Boozman’s floor speech.
The following are Boozman’s remarks on the Senate floor, lightly edited for clarity and length:
Thank you, Mr./Madam President.
I’m pleased to join Senators Collins and Murray, as well as my Democratic counterpart on the MilCon-VA Subcommittee, Senator Ossoff, in presenting the fiscal years 2026 and 2027 appropriations bills for the Department of Veterans Affairs and for Department of Defense military construction.
It’s important to remember that we followed tradition in crafting the bill in a very open and bipartisan way – so it’s built on a strong foundation and deserves the support of our colleagues.
This bill takes into consideration the needs of our veterans, their families and our servicemembers, and within that framework we have created a thoughtful path forward for both Departments and our Related Agencies.
The bill provides $153.5 billion in discretionary spending.
Of that amount, the Department of Veterans Affairs is provided $133.3 billion in discretionary funding.
When combined with $49.8 billion from the Toxic Exposures Fund, veterans medical care will be funded at a total of $163.6 billion in fiscal year 2026.
Our bill funds priority accounts to prevent veteran suicide as well as increase rural access to healthcare through significant investments for the Office of Rural Health.
Additionally, we allocate approximately $23 billion to support critical mental health issues and programs, prevent veterans homelessness, and provide funding for innovative medical research.
The bill also funds mandatory veterans benefits – which are earned benefits that include disability pensions, employment training programs and educational benefits.
We also make advance appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for certain accounts, including $122.3 billion for veterans medical care and $262.1 billion for mandatory veterans benefits.
In addition, we are delivering $19.8 billion to support military construction and family housing needs, which are important to both readiness and morale.
Our bill would give the Department of Defense the resources it needs to project power globally, enhance our warfighting capabilities, and train our forces.
Importantly, we provide $1.9 billion to improve housing and quality of life for servicemembers and their families.
I also want to note that the bill includes robust funding for our related agencies, which include the American Battle Monuments Commission, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Arlington National Cemetery, and the Armed Forces Retirement Home.
Funding these priorities, at these levels, represents solid, bipartisan work to provide the resources necessary for our veterans, their families, and the servicemembers defending our nation, which was evident with the passage of our measure in the Appropriations Committee by a vote of 26-3.
I want to again thank Senator Ossoff as well as Chair Collins and Vice Chair Murray for their hard work and collaboration. And also a special thanks to our staff that have worked so, so very hard to put an excellent bill together.
Thank you, Mr./Madam President, and I yield back.WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) secured Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s commitment to help strengthen cancer treatment and research in Arkansas as well as ensure rural communities maintain access to health care amid challenges with declining populations.
Boozman questioned Kennedy at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the department’s efforts to prioritize investment in prevention, screening and infrastructure, particularly in rural regions, to improve cancer outcomes.
“Early detection through screening of cancer is critical to improving outcomes and reducing long-term healthcare costs,” Boozman said. “National Cancer Institutes deliver cutting-edge cancer treatments to patients in communities across the United States and provide public education and outreach programs. Yet there are currently no NCI-Designated Cancer Centers in Arkansas, Mississippi, or Louisiana—states with some of the highest cancer mortality rates in the country.”
“I am aware of the application by the University of Arkansas [for Medical Sciences for] NCI designation, and I’m very anxious to help you with that,” Kennedy answered.
The senator, who also serves as Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, additionally raised his concerns about the struggles farmers – and the rural communities they reside in – have with health care access, including provider shortages and transportation barriers.
“Nearly half of Arkansas’s counties lost population between 2022 and 2023. Providers in rural communities struggle to keep the doors open, leading to gaps in care. How can we partner to develop sustainable health infrastructure that ensures that federal policies help attract and retain providers in health care deserts?” Boozman asked.
“I understand we’ve got to keep those institutions in those regions. They’re important economic drivers. And for people who need to visit an urgent care or an emergency room, they’re life-saving. I want to work with you to make sure that the 60 million Americans who live in rural areas, to keep them in those areas and healthy,” Kennedy responded.U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, highlighted important Natural State priorities including ensuring timely progress and completion of projects at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith and modernization and maintenance of Army Corps of Engineers recreation sites across Arkansas during a nominations hearing this week.
Boozman secured a commitment from Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works nominee Adam Telle to ensure the Little Rock District receives the Corps’ full support and resources for mission-critical projects at Ebbing in support of the F-35 Foreign Military Sales training mission.
The nominee reassured the senator he would fully follow congressional intent and work collaboratively with Boozman and his colleagues as a Corps of Engineers civilian leader. Telle further noted his desire to identify and implement creative solutions to enhance Corps-managed recreation sites to meet the needs of Arkansans.
The senator also questioned Sean McMaster, nominated to lead the Federal Highway Administration, on work zone safety issues. McMaster agreed on the need to study data and devote resources to address persistent challenges that endanger drivers and crews at infrastructure projects sites
U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, highlighted important Natural State issues while participating in a hearing on the nominations of Brian Nesvik to be Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and Jessica Kramer to be Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water of the Environmental Protection Agency. The senator elevated critical Arkansas priorities including wildlife management, wetland conservation and water infrastructure.
While addressing Nesvik, Boozman – a member of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission – noted that the population of ducks in Arkansas has remained stable due largely to duck hunters’ commitment to wetland and waterfowl conservation. He questioned Nesvik on his plans to maintain the Migratory Bird Program and efforts to support outdoor recreation such as hunting and fishing through the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Boozman also noted the water infrastructure challenges facing communities across Arkansas and beyond, and pressed Kramer to look for opportunities to cut red tape, promote flexibility and engage local and state officials with respect to modernizing and improving drinking water and irrigation systems.
U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) joined U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin and several of his Senate colleagues in welcoming the announcement that the EPA will work with the United States Army Corps of Engineers to review the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS).
As Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Boozman understands the challenges Arkansas farmers, ranchers and landowners experience when it comes to WOTUS. For years, the regulation has created uncertainty and confusion over diverted surface water and wetlands, negatively affecting agriculturalists and their businesses through permitting delays and property value decline.
Our farmers and ranchers want to maintain a safe and clean environment because their livelihoods depend on it. Unfortunately, WOTUS has made it impossible to make conservation-focused investments. The senator looks forward to continuing efforts to implement a commonsense policy.
Chairman Boozman joined Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Katie Britt (R-AL), as well as Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-01), Representative Derrick Van Orden (R-WI-03), and Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall, for the announcement that the agency would work swiftly on a revised definition.
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Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) joined Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, other congressional leaders and members of the Cash family to unveil Arkansas's newest contribution to the National Statuary Hall Collection: a bronze sculpture of Johnny Cash. The musician, born in Kingsland, Arkansas and raised in Dyess, becomes the first recording artist to be featured in the U.S. Capitol.
Click here to view Boozman's full remarks.
And watch the recap of the ceremony below celebrating the dedication of the statue by Little Rock artist Kevin Kresse.
U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), a member of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee questioned Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown, Jr. in a hearing reviewing the president’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget request for the Department of Defense.