BRUNSWICK, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) applauded Congressional passage of bipartisan legislation to fund the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Department of Defense (DoD). The package includes full funding for the VA Mission Act, a bipartisan effort that seeks to improve the availability and quality of care through the VA. The legislation, which passed the Senate last night and the House of Representatives this evening, now heads to the President’s desk for signature.

“America’s veterans have earned our nation’s eternal gratitude, and their dedicated service deserves nothing less than the best care we can possibly provide,” said Senator King. “As a result of this week’s overwhelmingly bipartisan votes, the VA will have the funds it needs to look after our veterans. I’m particularly pleased by the inclusion of funds for the VA MISSION Act, which will strengthen the VA’s status as a unique healthcare provider and help rural veterans to receive community care closer to home.”

The VA MISSION Act aims to consolidate and improve VA community care programs, as well as improve VA’s ability to hire high-quality healthcare professionals, expand VA caregiver benefits to veterans of all eras and establish a process to evaluate and reform VA’s existing facilities to best serve veterans. The VA MISSION Act has received broad support from leading veterans groups that represent millions of veterans in the United States; in May, a group of 38 veteran and military advocacy organizations wrote to the House and Senate in support of the VA MISSION Act.

Senator King has been a strong advocate for veterans issues since arriving in Washington. In June, his bill to strengthen accountability of senior executives at the VA was signed into law. In May, he held a listening session with Maine veterans on the qualities and values they are looking for in a new VA Secretary, and in April Senator King visited the Travis Mills Foundation Veterans Retreat in Rome, which brings injured veterans and their families to Maine in order to help the veterans overcome physical obstacles with the support of family members. The Senator also highlighted the important place of veterans in Maine by devoting his November and December podcasts to the subject, with Travis Mills as one of the guests on the latter show. In December, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it will fund three new positions in Maine to better serve justice-involved Maine veterans confronting homelessness, mental health or substance abuse issues – a move which follows a February letter from Senator King to the VA urging additional resources on the topic. Senator King was a cosponsor of the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017, which passed the Senate in June 2017 and has since been signed into law.