Jackie Walorski

By LINDSAY JANCEK
Communications Director, Office of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski

Congresswoman Jackie Walorski made the following statement after the House passed H.R. 83, the FY 2015 Omnibus Appropriations bill, by a vote of 219-206. The bill now heads to the Senate for further consideration.

“Today’s legislation includes a number of extremely important provisions to help Hoosiers, including funds for our nation’s military, address national security priorities to combat ISIL, cut wasteful spending, and end excessive overreach by the president. I’m also glad to see language was added to stops the transfer or release of detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay prison, protecting Americans from the risk of extremely dangerous individuals with ties to terrorist groups around the world,” Walorski said.

“Our nation’s brave men and women deserve timely access to health care. I’m extremely pleased to see this bill continues on the work my colleagues and I were able to obtain this summer in the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 and deliver a 21st-century health care system for our veterans and their families. This legislation includes measures to address the VA goal of ending the disability claims backlog by the end of 2015, and rescind $41 million from VA performance bonuses from negligent VA employees.”

Important measures include:

• Strengthen Defense: Ensures U.S. military’s readiness to meet national security needs and support troops in the field by providing assistance for overseas contingency operations to combat the threat of ISIL, train Iraqi allies, and reinforce European countries facing Russian aggression.
• Boost Education: Funds special education grants to states about the FY 2014 levels and increases maximum Pell Grant awards.
• Protect Veterans: Provides funding for VA to end the disability compensation claims backlog to ensure veterans receive the medical care they need.
• Promote Transportation: Provides funding for transportation programs, including highway funding for states.
• Protect Farmers and Support Agriculture: Removes funding for the Environmental Protection Agency for the fifth consecutive year and blocks the EPA from applying proposed water rules to certain farm ponds and irrigation ditches protecting farmers from burdensome regulations.

Walorski represents the 2nd Congressional District in Indiana, where she serves as a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, House Armed Services Committee, and House Budget Committee.