To authorize the Secretary of the Army to convey to the State of North Carolina a certain parcel of real property located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on which the State shall construct a veterans’ State home, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 10159) to authorize the Secretary of the Army to convey to the State of North Carolina a certain parcel of real property located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on which the State shall construct a veterans' State home, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, what does it say about our priorities if North Carolina has the land to train our soldiers for war but not the space to care for them when they grow old? That is the problem H.R. 10159 helps solve, and it is why I am proud to cosponsor this bill.

North Carolina is home to more than 600,000 veterans, but today the 150-bed Fayetteville State Veterans Home is closed after serious structural problems forced every resident out. The building has closed. The need that it served has not changed.

Just a few miles away at Fort Bragg, there are approximately 20 acres that can give that new home a place to be built.

I know Fort Bragg well. I trained there as a Green Beret and deployed from there to Afghanistan. The men I served alongside are veterans now. So am I. The 20-year-old soldier eventually becomes the 70-year-old veteran. The country that needed him at 20 still has a responsibility to him at 70.

Fort Bragg has spent generations preparing Americans for service. Now, we have an opportunity to use a small part of it to care for them after that service is over.

Give North Carolina the land. Let us build the home, and let us take care of the people who spent their lives taking care of our country.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, one of the benefits of sitting on the House Committee on Armed Services is that we have a lengthy legislative streak of enacting the National Defense Authorization Act. It is a bill that sets the policies for the national security of our Nation.

I will provide some assurance to the sponsoring Member that I will work diligently to have this provision incorporated into the conference discussions of the National Defense Authorization Act that I hope will be finalized this Congress.

In summary, this is a strong bipartisan bill that is worthy of being enacted. The Army supports this bill, and it is the minimum support that we can provide to support the veterans who have labored so hard for our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 10159, a bipartisan bill to transfer land from Fort Bragg to the State of North Carolina so that a new State veterans home can be built. I urge the House to pass this bill.

As Fort Bragg's Congressman, there is no issue more important to me than taking care of our Active-Duty servicemembers, their families, and our veterans.

North Carolina is home to many important military installations, including what we like to call the center of the universe at Fort Bragg.

North Carolina is also home to the fastest growing veteran population in the Nation. Sadly, our State experiences a gap in veteran services that we must address.

In 2024, the State veterans home in Fayetteville abruptly closed leading to the displacement of 85 veterans, including many with dementia and other disabilities. These heroes have since been dispersed across the State, far from their families, and in some cases without access to proper medical care. H.R. 10159 is the first step in the construction of a new veterans home just outside the gates of Fort Bragg.

This transfer of only 20 acres to the State of North Carolina will allow the State to begin permitting the construction process for this new home in a timely manner. Our veterans cannot and they should not wait any longer.

I am touched by the level of bipartisan support we have for the construction of this VA home both down in the State as well as here in Washington. I thank my fellow members of the North Carolina delegation, both Democrats and Republicans who have all cosponsored this legislation. I thank Mr. Bell for his support today. I also thank Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith for their support. I thank our Governor, and I thank our partners in the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, led by our great Secretary Jocelyn Mallette, for their efforts. I thank them for working with us on this vital legislation.

As Fort Bragg's Congressman, I am proud to lead this legislation, and I ask my colleagues to support its passage.

While we are here, I urge our colleagues on the other side of the Capitol, in the Senate, to please take up this vital legislation as soon as possible.

Again, our veterans have been waiting a long time. This is the first step to end that wait. I thank my colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, for working together to make this happen.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 10159 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. Speaker, I support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.