(Washington, D.C.)  Congresswoman Cathy McMorris (WA-05) today voted for the Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2007. The bill (H.R. 5385) provides funding for health care and veterans’ benefits. The bill also includes $4.25 million in funding for the Physiological Training Facility at Fairchild Air Force Base.

“One of my top priorities is providing access to quality and affordable health care for those who are currently serving in the military and for our veterans,” said McMorris. “They deserve to have the best care possible, both while they are actively serving and when they return home. The project for Fairchild Air Force Base is important in order to train and prepare our service men and women for the rigorous tasks of their duties.”

The funding for Fairchild Air Force Base will be used to construct a new Physiological Training Facility that will train 1,100 Armed Services personnel, Federal Aviation Administration personnel, and International air crews to recognize the effects of altitude on human physiology and flight performance. The training facility primarily serves a six state regional area, but is also available nationally.

The Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act will do the following:

• Provide $25 billion for Veterans Medical Services – $2.6 billion above last year’s level, representing a 70 percent increase in total funding over the last 6 years;
• Increase funding by $20 million for facility improvements in existing state veterans’ homes;
• Increase basic medical research funding by $13 million, for a total of $412 million;
• Add $12 million to upgrade Veterans Affairs medical research facilities nationwide; and
  Increase the defense health program by $1 billion, for a total of $21 billion