WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), chair of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement today regarding the Senate Appropriations Committee’s passage of the Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2017 and the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2017:

“These two funding bills are important to securing our homeland and keeping Americans safe. They include critical investments in our military and our service men and women, and language to prohibit Guantanamo Bay detainees from being transferred to the U.S. They also fund programs taking place in West Virginia, like the National Guard’s Counterdrug Program and the Department of Defense Biometrics Program. I am pleased that these two bills will now move to the full Senate for consideration,” said Senator Capito.

West Virginia priorities included in the Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2017:  

  • Provides $900 million for the National Guard and Reserve equipment account. This is critical for the operations and mission of the West Virginia National Guard.
  • Fully funds our active duty personnel and provides a 1.6 percent pay raise for military personnel, as requested by the Department of Defense.
  • Invests in the defense health system to ensure military service members and their families receive quality care. This includes increased funding  for the peer-reviewed medical research program, and at Senator Capito’s urging, for first time research to help combat eating disorders, which have taken an increasing toll on soldiers.
  • Prohibits the construction of a new facility for Guantanamo Bay detainees. The bill also restricts the transfer of detainees to foreign countries without meeting certification and notification requirements.
  • Increases funding for the National Guard’s Counterdrug Program, which has resulted in drug seizures totaling more than $500 million dollars in West Virginia. Senator Capito introduced legislation earlier this month to strengthen this program by extending the availability of funding from one to three years. 
  • Provides critical funding for the operations of the Department of Defense Biometrics Program that is conducted in West Virginia. This includes collecting, storing and analyzing data to enable the targeting, tracking and prosecution of known or potential terrorists.

West Virginia priorities included in the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2017:

  • Boosts funding for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to reduce checkpoint wait times by increasing TSA personnel and canine teams, and making technology improvements.
  • Increases funds for Customs and Border Protection, including border patrol agents, equipment and technology. 
  • Increases funds for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

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