MARIETTA, Ga. – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today released the following statement regarding President Donald Trump’s preliminary fiscal year 2018 budget proposal, which includes a 6 percent budget increase for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA):

“I am encouraged by this budget proposal and by the president taking this important step towards fulfilling his promise to invest in the restoration of our veterans’ healthcare system. This budget will allow the VA to make changes and reforms that are so desperately needed, such as extending and enhancing the Veterans Choice Program, and is a great start to providing the VA with the tools necessary to deliver the best health care for our veterans.”

The budget request includes a $4.4 billion increase in discretionary spending for the VA and a request for an additional $3.5 billion in mandatory budget authority in 2018 to continue the Veterans Choice Program.

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The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 115th Congress. Isakson is a veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate VA Committee since he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations representing each branch of the military as well as more than 750,000 veterans.