HYDE-SMITH SUPPORTS COMMITTEE PASSAGE OF BILL DIRECTING $60 MILLION FOR MILITARY CONSTRUCTION IN MISSISSIPPI

HYDE-SMITH SUPPORTS COMMITTEE PASSAGE OF BILL DIRECTING $60 MILLION FOR MILITARY CONSTRUCTION IN MISSISSIPPI

Miss. Senator Serves on MilCon-VA Appropriations Panel that Crafted FY2026 Funding Measure

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today voted for committee passage of an FY2026 appropriations bill that will direct $60 million in military construction funds to Mississippi.

Hyde-Smith serves on the Senate Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Subcommittee that developed the FY2026 MilCon-VA Appropriations Bill, which gained full-committee approval Thursday. The bill is now available for consideration by the full Senate.

"Mississippians take pride in our bases and institutions that support our national defense. Those facilities are in constant need of upgrades and improvements to ensure our fighting forces are the best trained and equipped in the world. This appropriations bill moves those projects forward," Hyde-Smith said. "It also recommends strong funding to meet our national commitments to our veterans and their families. I look forward to Senate consideration of this important and fiscally-responsible bill."

Hyde-Smith worked with the MilCon-VA Appropriations Subcommittee to secure the following for Mississippi in the Senate measure:

• $19 million for Base Supply Warehouse, Key Field, Meridian
• $14.2 million for Water Tank Storage Facility, Columbus Air Force Base
• $9.0 million for Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School (NAVCIATTS) student quarters planning and design funds, Stennis Space Center
• $6.8 million for Jet Engine Thermal Simulator, Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Vicksburg
• $6.5 million for Army Aviation Support Facility planning and design, Mississippi National Guard, Hattiesburg
• $4.5 million for Readiness Center planning and design, Mississippi National Guard, Hattiesburg

The committee-approved bill maintains funding, $171 million, for VA grants for VA Construction of State Extended Care Facilities. At a budget review hearing in June, Hyde-Smith expressed concerns about the administration of this program and its effect on state-owned veterans homes in Mississippi and around the country.

The legislation also includes $79.0 million for the Armed Forces Retirement Home Trust Fund, which is used to operate facilities in Gulfport and Washington, D.C.

Overall, the bill recommends $433.6 billion in mandatory and discretionary funding for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for support VA compensation and benefits to veterans, including pensions, education, vocational rehabilitation, life insurance, and housing loan programs.

###