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Van Hollen, Cardin Announce Key Committee Passage of Over $450 Million for Maryland Military Installations

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announced the inclusion in key Senate Committee legislation of $456,161,000 for military installations across Maryland. These federal dollars, included at the Senators’ request, are within the Senate Appropriations Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee’s proposed funding legislation for fiscal year 2025. This subcommittee legislation, released as part of the annual Congressional Appropriations process and approved by the full Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday, will proceed to consideration before the full Senate. Funding is not finalized until the Appropriations bills are passed by the full Senate, reconciled with the House of Representatives, and signed by the President.

“Maryland is the proud home to critical military installations as well as hundreds of thousands of service members, civilian employees, and veterans. The funds in this legislation will strengthen facilities across our state and support the personnel who power them – while improving care and services for our veterans. We’ll keep working to deliver these investments that will advance our military readiness and bolster resources for all those who have served our country in uniform,” said Senator Van Hollen.

“Maryland’s military installations are critical to our national security. This funding will strengthen our military installations and provide the tools our military needs to carry out its mission of defending our nation against all enemies. We are securing our national defense while protecting our environment from dangerous materials and supporting our service members and their families,” said Senator Cardin.

These projects were included in the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies FY2025 funding legislation. Additional projects will be announced as the Subcommittees continue to release their respective bills.

Project Name: Contained Burn Facility at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Indian Head
Recipient: Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Indian Head, (IHD) MD
Project Purpose: Funds will be used to build a contained burn facility at Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head to responsibly dispose of unexploded ordnance, reducing environmental impacts of disposal.
Project Location: Charles County
Amount Included: $50,000,000

Project Name: Hagerstown Field Maintenance Shop Planning and Design
Recipient: Maryland National Guard
Project Purpose: Funds will be used to plan and design a Field Maintenance Shop to service and repair military vehicles for the Maryland National Guard.
Project Location: Washington County
Amount Included: $2,470,000

Additional priorities secured by the Senators in the FY25 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill include:

  • Funding for critical military construction projects across Maryland, including:
    • $46 million for the Child Development Center at Fort Meade
    • $77.651 million for construction at the Bethesda Naval Hospital
    • $265 million for NSAW East Campus Building #5 construction at Fort Meade
    • $15.04 million for an ambulatory care center at Joint Base Andrews
  • $3.21 billion for veterans homelessness programs, a $97 million increase over FY24. This funding includes:
    • $659 million for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program;
    • $320 million for the Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program;
    • $661.5 million for case management and supportive services as administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) under the Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program; and
    • $153 million for the Veterans Justice Outreach Program and Legal Services for Veterans grants.
  • $150 million for grants for construction of state extended care facilities – this program supports the construction of state-run assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, like the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home and the planned second Veterans home in Sykesville, that offer a continuum of care for our nation’s Veterans.
  • $878 million for VA medical and prosthetics research.

  • $31.6 million for the planning and design of future child development centers. This is in addition to the $133 million the committee supports in the President’s FY25 budget request.

  • $50 million to help remediate hazardous environmental sites at installations closed under previous Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)s.

  • $1.9 billion for military family housing construction, operations, and maintenance.

  • $1.323 billion to support gender-specific healthcare services to support the VA in expanding care to all women veterans.