Rep. French Hill announced on May 15 that he voted in favor of H.R. 8469, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2027. The bill passed the House with a vote of 400-15 and aims to fully fund veterans’ health care and benefits while supporting critical investments for the Arkansas National Guard.
The legislation is significant because it provides financial resources to support veterans’ services and military infrastructure needs. It includes measures to ensure ongoing support for those who have served in the armed forces as well as their families.
Hill said, “Our veterans and service members have earned every benefit they were promised, and it is Congress’s job to make sure they receive it. This bill fully funds veterans’ health care, protects veterans’ mental health programs, and keeps faith with those who have sacrificed so much for our country. I am also proud that this bill gives the Arkansas National Guard a path to compete for critical infrastructure funding, including a new hangar and medical building our Guard members need. Taking care of the men and women in uniform and the families who stand beside them will always be one of my top priorities.”
The act allocates $469.49 billion in total funding—$157 billion discretionary spending plus $329.9 billion mandatory spending—which is about three percent higher than fiscal year 2026 enacted levels. The bill includes several priorities advocated by Hill: allowing the Arkansas National Guard to compete for new facility funding; supporting efforts aimed at female veterans; providing funds for VA Office of Enterprise Integration; enhancing VA data governance; and supporting VA medical services.
Other provisions include full funding of veteran health care at $138.2 billion (matching the fiscal year 2027 budget request), continued support for mental health programs relied upon by veterans, $54.6 billion dedicated to addressing toxic exposure-related needs through the Toxic Exposures Fund established under the PACT Act, protection of Second Amendment rights by requiring judicial consent before sharing information with law enforcement agencies like the FBI, restrictions on purchasing from China by Veterans Affairs agencies, as well as $19.2 billion allocated toward Department of Defense military construction projects.
French Hill has represented Arkansas’s second district since replacing Tim Griffin in Congress in 2015 according to Congress.gov. He was born in Little Rock in 1956 where he currently resides according to Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, graduating from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1975.
