House Bill Passes, Would Fund APG Projects

The House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that, if passed by the Senate and signed by President Barack Obama, would fund more than $100 million in improvements at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

The 2014 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act passed the House of Representatives in a nearly unanimous 421-4 vote. The bill includes $21 million to fund preparations for the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missle Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System at Aberdeen Proving Ground. It also includes $110 million for a public health lab at the proving ground to study vector-borne and communicable diseases, according to a release.

The bill also provides $63 billion for Veterans Affairs programs, and mandates that the department take steps to eliminate its backlog of disability claims cases.

Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, a Baltimore County Democrat who represents the Fort Meade area, said in a release he voted for the bill despite disagreements with Republicans on budget cuts beyond those required under sequestration.

“Although I disagree with the underlying budget message this bill supports, we can’t vote on political philosophy at the expense of our veterans and military families,” Ruppersberger said in the release. “I continue to urge House leaders to work on a new, bipartisan budget framework that ends sequestration and responsibly reduces government spending.”