WCBC

June 13th, 2016 by WCBC Radio

Congressman John K. Delaney (MD-6) has authored an amendment to the 2017 Department of Defense (DOD) Appropriations Bill that would increase federal support for the Fisher House Foundation, a non-profit that partners with the military to provide free lodging near Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and military hospitals to the families of veterans and service-members receiving care. Delaney’s bipartisan amendment increases funding for Fisher House from $5 million dollars to $10 million and is cosponsored by Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Rep. Walter Jones (NC-3) and Rep. Ted Yoho (FL-3). The amendment is currently being considered by the House Committee on Rules, the first step in bringing it to the House floor.  

“When our nation’s heroes require long hospital stays, they should be able to have their family by their side, period,” said Congressman Delaney. “Our bipartisan amendment is about helping more military and veteran families be together and getting the additional facilities built that we need. Fisher House is a beloved charity in the military community and has been a strong partner with the federal government for two decades. I am hopeful that our amendment will be allowed by the Rules Committee so that we can bring it to the floor for full consideration.”

Delaney has fought for Fisher House in the budget each year since taking office in 2013. In March, Delaney led a bipartisan letter signed by thirty House members calling for increased federal support for Fisher House in the federal budget. The increase in federal support for Fisher House is fully offset by a reduction in the DOD Operations & Maintenance Account, an administrative overhead account which is not fully spent.  

In 2013, 2014, and 2015 the House has passed amendments offered by Delaney during consideration of Department of Defense Appropriations to increase federal support for Fisher House. 

Currently, there are 70 Fisher Houses in operation. New homes cannot be built without full funding, so increased federal support for the Fisher House Foundation will help more facilities be built. As a public-private partnership Fisher House builds new facilities and then donates them to the United States government. Since 1990, over 277,000 families have been served by Fisher House, which has an A+ grade from Charity Watch and a four out of four star rating from Charity Navigator.