Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and West Point Board of Visitors, today announced that $58 million in authorized funding for the construction of new barracks at West Point as part of the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act has passed out of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and a $58 million appropriation for the construction has passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The funding package now heads to the full Senate for a vote.
“The passage of this funding is great news for West Point and its cadets,” said Senator Schumer. “I went to bat for these funds because the cadets who volunteer to serve our country deserve the best facilities and education that West Point can offer. This investment will preserve the Hudson Valley’s reputation as the place where our best soldiers come to learn, and where the values of service and sacrifice are instilled.”
“West Point is home to America’s strongest, most distinguished military tradition,” Senator Gillibrand said. “This investment is key to West Point’s strength – giving our cadets the resources they need, and helping to attract the next generation of America’s leaders to New York’s own Hudson Valley.”
This project is the first barracks constructed at the United States Military Academy since 1972. The new barracks would provide housing for 650 cadets, adding new space to help alleviate overcrowding, which can reach up to 40 percent at the beginning of the academic year. The military construction project would also support much needed ongoing and future renovations of the existing barracks, some dating back to 1895.