In the first 2014 appropriations measure to come out of the Washington D. C. gridlock, the House voted 421 to 4 to slash spending for military and veterans administration construction projects during the 2014 fiscal year. the bill cuts $670 million from the 2013 level of military construction appropriations, and also reduces spending on major VA construction projects by 36%. Funding for minor VA projects was boosted a paltry 18%.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers said in support of the measure: "We took the difficult but responsible step to reduce military construction spending ... but we made these reductions without affecting military readiness or effectiveness." the cuts include a 6% reduction in spending for housing construction for military families, partially due to privatization of DOD family housing.
One Republican amendment to the bill, which would have deleted any funds for Davis-Bacon enforcement of prevailing wage requirements on military construction projects was rejected before the measure finally passed, giving some solace to the trade union members whose jobs are threatened by the massive reductions in these appropriations. The bill is on its way to the Senate for action there.
