Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) urged the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs to provide more resources for our Major Range and Test Facility Bases (MRTFB), including Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC), to address critical maintenance needs and repairs.
“We must provide resources to address aging infrastructure on our bases which are critical to our national security. I am concerned that deferred maintenance at Naval Base Ventura County, and other Major Range and Test Facility Bases, is negatively impacting the Navy’s ability to conduct test and evaluation of critical new systems.”
A report detailing the backlog of construction and maintenance needs at Major Range and Test Facility Bases, completed in March 2016, estimated the total cost of bringing these facilities from their current “poor” or “failing” grade up to “good” or “fair” condition is $1.2 billion. The needs at NBVC are over $62 million.
Rep. Brownley also testified about the backlog of VA lease authorizations, which is delaying sorely needed care for veterans, as well as making In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and adoption services permanently available to veterans with service-connected reproductive disabilities.
Text of Rep. Brownley’s remarks at the hearing: https://juliabrownley.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/rep-brownley-testimony-before-the-house-appropriations-committee
Issues: 115th Congress, Veterans' Affairs