Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced the full House Appropriations Committee’s FY2022 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon/VA) spending bill provides $279.9 billion in total funding, an increase of more than 10 percent above 2021. Pingree, as a member of the MilCon/VA Subcommittee, secured $475 million for the long-awaited dry dock modernization project at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY).  

“I am proud to have successfully worked with my colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee to secure much-needed funding to modernize the dry dock in Kittery. The Shipyard is a tremendous asset for the Navy and improvements to its infrastructure are essential,” Congresswoman Pingree said. “These investments in our nation’s military infrastructure, including our public shipyards, and climate resiliency are crucial to ensuring a strong national security and will go a long way to ensure America is ready to respond to future challenges.”

Highlights of the bill include:

• Enhancing naval readiness with critical investments in infrastructure upgrades at the Navy’s public shipyards, including much-needed funding for the ongoing Dry Dock Modernization project at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
• Supporting our veterans with investments in health care, including targeted investments that advance women's health, mental health, and homelessness assistance
• Prioritizing the needs of military families with strong investments to construct critical facilities on military installations including family housing and child care centers, and build, repair, and retrofit Veterans Affairs facilities
• Protecting our national security with investments to respond to the challenges posed by Russian and Chinese aggression 
• Confronting the climate crisis with increased climate change and resiliency funding to help military installations adapt to rising sea levels and worsening natural disasters

A full summary of the bill is here.

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