Washington D.C. – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) delivered a speech on the Senate floor this week, urging the consideration of two critical appropriations bills: the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act and the FY25 Defense Appropriations Act. Senator Britt, alongside other Senate Republicans, led by Appropriations Vice Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine), emphasized the need to move forward with individual consideration of these bills before government funding expires on September 30.
Both bills were unanimously advanced by the Senate Appropriations Committee by August 1 but have yet to reach the Senate floor for further debate. Britt voiced concern over the delay, particularly with the potential impact on national defense and veterans’ services. In her speech, she highlighted the bipartisan work done in the Appropriations Committee and criticized Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for not prioritizing the bills’ progression.
“We have marked up 11 out of 12 of those bills in an extremely bipartisan fashion,” Britt said, expressing frustration that the bills are still awaiting consideration. “What we should be doing is figuring out a path forward to fund defense and to fund our veterans.”
Senator Britt also echoed concerns raised by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin regarding the negative effects of a continuing resolution (CR) on military readiness. She argued that addressing these funding needs is critical and that the Senate should focus on fulfilling its responsibility to support the men and women in uniform.
Britt’s advocacy comes as Alabama stands to benefit from substantial allocations in both appropriations acts. Under the FY25 Defense Appropriations Act, the state is set to receive $6.1 billion in defense funding, including $1.42 billion for flight training at Fort Novosel and significant investments in missile defense systems and military equipment produced in Alabama. The FY25 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act includes $22.5 million in congressionally directed spending for Alabama, with allocations for construction and planning projects at Fort Novosel.
In her concluding remarks, Britt emphasized the importance of moving forward with these appropriations and urged the Senate to act swiftly to meet the needs of the military and veterans.
