Shea-Porter Secures $9 Million in Funding for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Shea-Porter today announced that she was able to secure $9 million in funding for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in the 2010 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill. Shea-Porter secured $2 million for the consolidation of structural shops and $7 million for Gate 2 at the Shipyard. The bill, which also increases funding for veterans health care by 58 percent and provides funding for military construction, passed by a bipartisan vote of 415 to 3.

“The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is critical to both our local economy and our national defense and I am committed to ensuring it remains properly funded,” said Congresswoman Shea-Porter. “I am pleased that I was able to secure this important funding for the Shipyard, which will increase the yard’s efficiency and safety.”

The House Passes Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act:

• provides quality health care for 5 million veterans;
• increases health care access for veterans in rural communities;
• invests in 28 new Vet Centers and 30 new Community Based Outpatient Centers;
• expands eligibility for VA health care to an estimated 266,000 non-service-disabled veterans (Priority 8 veterans);
• assists homeless veterans by increasing funding for the Presidential Initiative to combat homelessness;
• increases funding for mental health care for troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan;
• offers supportive services for low-income veterans and families;
• reduces the Veterans Claims Backlog;
• increases funding for military construction;
• invests in child care centers for military families; and
• funds overseas contingency operations.