House Approves Vet, MilCon Bill: The full House has approved the 2007 Military Construction, Military Quality of Life, and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, raising VA funding by nearly 12 percent more than the amount enacted for 2006. Overall, the House version of the bill at $94.7 billion is about $80 million shy of the Administration’s request of $95.5 billion. The House would increase funding for the care of veterans returning from operations in Afghanistan and Iraq by 6.3 percent.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.