Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) secured critical funds for military bases and operations, and veteran services throughout Texas’s 23rd District in the FY 2022 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill.
“As a retired Navy Master Chief and veteran myself, I know how critical our district’s military bases and operations are to our national security strategy,” said Congressman Gonzales. “These appropriations will fund projects that are outdated and underfunded, and every dollar awarded allows for a better equipped military and a better served veteran population.”
Congressman Gonzales worked to secure funds for following Community Project Funding requests:
$22 Million for Lackland Air Force Base Child Development Center: The U.S. Air Force identified this project has one of its top four priority unfunded Military Construction Projects. As of February 2021, there were 5,116 children with an unmet need for care and the average wait time to place a child is 151 days.
$10 million for an updated Camp Bullis vehicle maintenance shop: The current Camp Bullis maintenance facility is comprised of a shop constructed in 1945, portable buildings, and shipping containers. New maintenance facilities allow for increased productivity, more effective employment of skilled personnel and improved mission training.
Additionally, Gonzales helped to include funds for a variety of other military projects across Texas’s 23rd District:
$71 Million for Basic Military Training Dormitories at Lackland Air Force Base
$35 Million for Ambulatory Care Center at Lackland Air Force Base
$150 Million for a new El Paso Veterans Affairs Healthcare Center
$7.5 million Increase for Rural Health Transportation Programs
$2.2 billion for Veteran Suicide Prevention Programs, the most ever appropriated
Report language that ensures Homeless Veterans near the U.S.-Mexico Border are accounted for when awarding homeless veteran housing vouchers
$2.5 billion for Veteran Telehealth and Connected Care
Report language that directs the Secretary of the Army to conduct a review of Army rail and transport logistics infrastructure at installations with rapid deployment requirements, including El Paso’s Fort Bliss.