⚡NIMITZ NEWS FLASH⚡

“Member Day”

House Appropriations Committee, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee

May 20, 2025 (recording here)

HEARING INFORMATION

Witnesses:

• The Honorable Maggie Goodlander: Member of Congress

• The Honorable Michael Rulli: Member of Congress

Keywords mentioned:

• Full-service VA medical center, Veterans Crisis Line, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, hiring freezes, child care centers, peer support specialists, continuing resolutions (CRs), fire station funding

IN THEIR WORDS

OPENING STATEMENTS FROM THE SUBCOMMITTEE

• Chairman John Carter spoke on the importance of hearing directly from colleagues about their district-level priorities related to military construction and veterans affairs. He expressed his willingness to work with the Ranking Member to accommodate these priorities during the FY26 appropriations process.

• Ranking Member Debbie Wasserman Schultz echoed the Chairman’s remarks and appreciated hearing from members outside of the Appropriations Committee about their FY26 priorities. She expressed enthusiasm for listening to their feedback to better inform the Subcommittee’s work.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS

• Rep. Maggie Goodlander laid out her priorities for New Hampshire’s Second District:

  • She highlighted that New Hampshire is the only state in the continental U.S. without a full-service VA medical center, creating serious gaps in care. She praised a recent executive order from President Donald Trump calling for a feasibility study and action plan to address the issue by September. She urged the Subcommittee to support and fully fund the development of such a facility.

  • Rep. Goodlander also asked the Subcommittee to maintain funding for the State Veterans Home program, which provides skilled nursing and adult daycare. She also advocated for the restoration of the recently terminated VA Service Purchasing (VASP) program, which she called a vital tool to help veteran homeowners avoid foreclosure. She referred to the program as a “hand up,” not a handout, especially during a housing crisis.

  • She further urged support for the Veterans Crisis Line, which she described as a critical and underperforming lifeline for veterans, and highlighted the importance of peer support specialists for women veterans. Rep. Goodlander also praised sports programs at the University of New Hampshire and underscored the need for continued funding for veterans with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).

  • Shifting to military construction, she emphasized the strategic importance of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, one of only four public shipyards in the country. She urged continued investment in both the facility’s expansion and workforce. She also warned that hiring freezes, benefit cuts, and uncertainty were undermining the shipyard’s mission and affecting national security.

  • Rep. Goodlander then advocated for the construction of a Child Development Center at the shipyard, stating that the lack of child care access was driving talented professionals—mostly women—out of the workforce. She also spotlighted the New Boston Space Force Station, which plays a critical role in satellite command and GPS services, and asked the Subcommittee to continue supporting its mission.

• Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz thanked Rep. Goodlander and shared her familiarity with New Hampshire, expressing surprise that the state lacks a full-service VA hospital. She asked what specific services veterans had to travel for and where they were being sent. Rep. Goodlander replied that veterans, especially in rural northern areas, often drove over two hours just to reach clinics like the one in Littleton—only to receive virtual care from doctors located elsewhere. She described the Manchester VA Medical Center as under-resourced and severely outdated, despite the dedication of its staff. She added that the executive order’s feasibility study would help identify more precisely where care gaps exist.

• The Ranking Member then asked about the impact of hiring freezes and budget cuts on the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Rep. Goodlander said that the workforce’s morale and mission had been undermined and reiterated the importance of child care access to retaining talent and ensuring national security. Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz agreed and noted that she and the Chairman had prioritized funding for child care centers even when the administration had not. She discussed broader challenges to service member quality of life, including poor housing conditions in privatized military housing, which she said was contributing to retention problems.

• Chairman Carter thanked Rep. Goodlander again and agreed that shipbuilding had become a national defense priority. He assured her that her testimony elevated the visibility of New Hampshire’s needs and said the Subcommittee would do its best to address them.

• Rep. Goodlander praised the Subcommittee’s leadership and stated that budget uncertainty—specifically the reliance on continuing resolutions (CRs)—posed a real threat to national security. She noted that the Subcommittee was a model for timely appropriations work. Chairman Carter agreed and suggested that the budget process should begin within five days of a new president taking office. He proposed that Congress should finish the budget by the end of February and called on the Senate to act sooner, not wait until September.

• Rep. Michael Rulli then testified about the Youngstown Air Reserve Station (YARS) in Ohio, located outside Youngstown and Warren:

  • He described it as a regional economic driver and strategic military asset, employing over 1,500 people. He detailed its role as the longtime home of the C-130 fleet and reviewed how the base had transitioned to the newer, more advanced C-130J model.

  • Rep. Rulli explained that the base already houses three of the planned nine to ten C-130Js—each worth approximately $100 million—and noted the pressing need to replace its dilapidated fire station, which he said could not adequately respond to emergencies.

  • He praised past support from the Subcommittee, which secured design funding in FY24, and claimed the requested $25 million had not yet been released. He asked the Subcommittee to help push the Department of Defense (DOD) to unlock that funding.

  • Rep. Rulli shared his pride in working across the aisle during his time in the Ohio Senate to secure $17 million for upgraded gates at the base and underlined that support for the fire station was bipartisan, spanning multiple levels of government. He called YARS a model for local, state, and federal collaboration.

• Chairman Carter shared the good news that the fire station had been fully funded in the DOD’s FY25 spending plan. Rep. Rulli was visibly moved and expressed deep thanks to the Subcommittee, saying the funding meant everything to the reservists, their families, and the surrounding region.

• Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz clarified that the funding was included in the spending plan because the Subcommittee had demanded it from the DOD. She used the moment to criticize the reliance on CRs, noting that if a full-year appropriations bill had passed, Rep. Rulli would have already known the fire station was funded. She reiterated the need for Congress to maintain control over funding decisions and to avoid ceding authority to the executive branch.

• Chairman Carter echoed her concerns, stating that CRs undermine the Subcommittee’s work and noting how often the results of their efforts are delayed or dismissed when full appropriations bills are not passed. He again expressed hope for a return to regular order.

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