Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), former Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and author of more than a dozen laws to help veterans, issued the following statement on the passage of HR 5371, the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act of 2026:

                “Last night, I voted for—and the House passed—critical legislation to reopen the federal government after the longest shutdown in our nation’s history, caused by Democrats seeking to score political points at the expense of the American people.

                “Critically, this legislation immediately reopens the government and provides $133.2 billion in full-year funding to the Veterans Administration—including $53 billion to provide healthcare, benefits, and research for veterans exposed to toxins while deployed.

                “I find it astonishing and deeply disappointing that so many Democrats today voted against fully funding veterans’ healthcare—only one day after Veterans Day.

                “This bill also fully funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for the remainder of the fiscal year at the level of $107.5 billion, as well as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) at $8.2 billion, an increase of $603 million compared to last year.

                “This is extremely welcome news, as just last month, I cosponsored legislation—the Keep SNAP Funded Act of 2025 (HR 5822)—to appropriate unallocated federal funds to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of benefits under SNAP during the shutdown.

                “Additionally, this legislation includes critical funds to upgrade and establish new missions at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, the Naval Secure Test Aviation Research Hangar and the Lakehurst Air Traffic Control Tower—projects that I have spearheaded. The Lakehurst portion of the base—one of the largest employers in Ocean County—performs unique missions that provide substantial value and expertise to critical national security missions.

                “New project funding—$5.6 million in design funding for a new state-of-the-art hangar and $3.2 million in design funding for a new air traffic control tower—demonstrate the continued value of the Navy’s presence in Ocean County and will support new naval aviation missions well into the future.

                “I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that these projects receive the proper attention and requisite funding to fully bring them to completion.”

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