Whereas, in 1973, Congress passed the National Cemeteries Act of 1973 ( Public Law 93–43 ), creating an agency within the Veterans Administration to oversee the national cemetery system; Whereas, in 2023, the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) celebrates 50 years of upholding a sacred duty to inter, honor, and memorialize those who have served in the United States Armed Forces; Whereas the National Cemetery Administration operates and ensures perpetual care of 155 national cemeteries and 34 soldiers’ lots and monument sites that honor and serve as the final resting places for 4,000,000 veterans representing every era throughout the history of the United States; Whereas the National Cemetery Administration provides burial and memorial benefits for eligible veterans and family members, at no cost, including— (1) a gravesite or niche in any national cemetery with available space; (2) opening and closing of the grave and perpetual care; and (3) a government headstone, marker, or medallion, burial flag, and Presidential memorial certificate; Whereas the establishment of the Veterans Cemetery Grants Program (VCGP) has furthered the commitment of the United States to the proper burial and honoring of veterans by awarding more than $1,000,000,000 to assist States, Territories, and Tribal governments in establishing, expanding, and operating veterans’ cemeteries that complement and help expand burial access; Whereas, through the VCGP, the National Cemetery Administration has provided grant funding to 122 veterans’ cemeteries in 49 States, Tribal trust lands, and Territories including Guam, Saipan, and Puerto Rico; Whereas, in fiscal year 2022, the National Cemetery Administration processed more than 350,000 requests for headstones, markers, and medallions to honor veterans and their loved ones in national, State, Tribal, and private cemeteries, and issued more than 463,000 Presidential memorial certificates to the family members of veterans