The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed this fiscal year's National Defense Authorization Act. The sweeping defense policy bill includes language aimed at preventing service reductions at Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon.
U.S. Rep. Rick Allen said in a news release issued Wednesday that he secured provisions in the House-passed legislation requiring the reversal of plans to convert Eisenhower Army Medical Center into an ambulatory care center and prohibiting future reductions in the facility's scope of medical services.
"The EAMC has consistently been ranked one of our nation's most prestigious military health institutions," Allen said. "Last
year, when I learned about the potential reduction of services at the hospital, I immediately began demanding answers and working with my colleagues in Congress and the Trump Administration to ensure these baseless plans were abruptly discontinued."
He called the measure a significant step toward protecting medical services for active-duty military, veterans and military families in the Augusta area.
The provisions are included in Sections 704 and 705 of H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027. The bill also authorizes defense funding and includes a pay raise for service members. The legislation now moves forward in the congressional process before it can become law.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: House NDAA blocks planned service cuts at Eisenhower hospital
