Tricare Prime beneficiaries who see a primary care manager at a military hospital or clinic may be able to get a virtual appointment for urgent care if their local military treatment facility is booked, Tricare officials announced Thursday.

Patients can contact the Military Health System Nurse Advice line online or by phone at 1-800-TRICARE (874-2273). A nurse will assess whether they can get a virtual appointment that day or the following.

“This is part of the Defense Health Agency’s effort to improve health care access,” said Army Lt. Col. Ryan Shubat, chief of the Defense Health Agency’s primary care and mental health health care optimization, in the announcement.

The service is offered in the United States for eligible beneficiaries aged 12 and older, but not overseas or in U.S. territories.

Providers can address common urgent care issues, officials said, such as sinus congestion and infections; coughs; allergies; sore or hoarse throat; rashes; acne; muscle and joint pain; and headaches.

The nurse will ask about a patient’s symptoms, and decide whether the symptoms can be treated virtually. If it works for the patient, the nurse will set up the virtual appointment with a health care provider. Appointments are available from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Providers can write prescriptions and send them directly to the patient’s pharmacy.

All virtual urgent care providers meet high standards for patient care, officials said. Each provider has credentials and privileges at a Defense Health Agency military hospital or clinic.

The visit is recorded in the patient’s electronic health record.

During a hearing on quality-of-life issues before the Senate Armed Services Committee’s personnel subcommittee, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David Wolfe cited a lack of available appointments for health care, and problems with Tricare’s reimbursement rates for health care providers in communities.

“What we’ve all seen over the length of our careers is a gradual erosion in the availability of that health care for our service members and their families,” Wolfe said.

This has been an issue for years, and problems with health care access have been exacerbated by new Tricare contracts implemented last year.

In spite of the time, effort and money spent on improving quality of life for service members and their families, “when you get down to the tactical level, there’s a gap,” said Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna. “They’re not feeling it day to day. They’re not feeling it around the kitchen table. They’re not feeling it when they call to get an appointment. They’re not feeling it when they try to get child care.”

The enlisted leaders talked about a range of issues, including their concerns about suicide and mental health, improvements to barracks, child care availability and uncertainty about pay related to federal shutdowns.

The services and the Defense Department have been working to increase child care slots. But Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., raised concerns about the persistent and long waitlists for military child care, citing waitlists of 7,800 children at the end of 2025.

“When I come back to ask these questions a year from now, are we still going to have a waitlist that’s 7,800 babies long?” she asked.

Warren contends the services haven’t done enough to attract and keep child care workers. The attrition rate is about 50% for child care workers in military child development centers, Warren said, and she criticized the Army, Navy and Air Force for not upgrading the pay scales by April 2025 as required by law.

When asked why they leave, workers say it’s low pay, according to Warren.

“You have the tools from Congress. We’ve already given them to you and you haven’t picked them up and used them,” she said.

However, Wolfe and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman said they’ve been told that their services have already upgraded their pay scales, and it has made a difference in the staffing.

“We have moved out with [using] the authorities. We are making significant progress in reducing our waitlist,” Perryman said, while noting it’s not okay to have 1,400 children still waiting for care.

“Right now, we’ve got about 2,700 [children] with unmet need across the Air Force. And that’s absolutely not where we want to be,” Wolfe said. “We are committed to making sure that this number goes down over time and does not creep back up.”

But Warren said parents don’t have time to wait. “They don’t have a year that they can just set aside while they’re waiting around on a 1,400 or 2,700 waitlist. They’ve got to have child care now.”

To the Space Force and Marine Corps, she said, “You nailed it. And let’s keep it up because that’s what we’ve got to do.

“We can’t say that we are a military that cares about our families if we pretend to provide child care and then we’ve got a waitlist that’s got 7,800 babies waiting on it.”

The costs for the voluntary dental program depend on the sponsor’s military status, as well as how many people are covered in the plan. Dentists are available in the United Concordia dental network in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Active-duty service members don’t pay for dental care, but the dental program offers coverage for their family members, as well as National Guard and Reserve members and their eligible family members.

The monthly premium for one family member of an active-duty service member in pay grades E-4 and below will increase by $0.14, up to $8.79 per month. For more than one family member, the monthly premium will increase by $0.37, up to $22.85.

For sponsors in pay grades E-5 and above, the monthly premium for one family member increases by $0.19, to $11.72. The monthly premium for more than one family member will increase by $0.49, to $30.47

The largest cost increase for the dental program comes for nonmobilized Individual Ready Reserve members buying coverage for themselves and family, increasing by $1.72 a month, to $105.48.

This coverage is separate from medical coverage, and requires separate enrollment. To enroll, the sponsor must have at least one year of military service remaining. The new premiums take effect automatically for those who are already enrolled.

The dental program is a pay-ahead program, meaning payments are for the next month of coverage. The new monthly rates take effect March 1, but families will see the change in their February bill. The rates are effective through February 2027.

Beneficiaries can find out more information about enrolling and payment options here.

In 2025, many military families saw decreases in their monthly Tricare dental premiums, with some active-duty families seeing their premiums drop by nearly one-third.

Starting Feb. 28, active duty family members who live far from a military hospital or clinic, and who are enrolled in Tricare Prime Remote in the United States, will get their covered prescriptions for free.

They’ll have $0 copayments for prescriptions filled at retail network pharmacies as well as through the Tricare Pharmacy Home Delivery, according to an announcement Tuesday by the Defense Health Agency. It applies to all covered prescriptions, including generic drugs, brand-name drugs and non-formulary drugs.

“This change will help military families without access to military pharmacies keep their pharmacy costs down,” said U.S. Public Health Service Cmdr. Teisha Robertson, chief of the Pharmacy Integration Branch at the Defense Health Agency, in an announcement of the waiver. Patients can fill prescriptions at military hospitals or clinics at no cost.

The waiver will save these active duty family members $16 for a 30-day supply of generic drugs and $48 for brand-name medications filled at retail network pharmacies. For those using the mail order pharmacy, it will save $14 for a 90-day supply of generic drugs and $44 for name-brand drugs.

These families who are filling prescriptions for non-formulary drugs will save $85, and will still be required to get a medical necessity approval from Express Scripts. Otherwise they’ll have to get the prescription filled at a retail pharmacy and pay the full cost of the drug.

By law, families can enroll in Tricare Prime Remote if both the sponsor’s home and work addresses are more than 50 miles, or a one-hour drive, from a military hospital or clinic.

About 58,000 active duty family members are enrolled in Tricare Prime Remote in the United States, and will benefit from the waiver, according to Tricare officials. That number doesn’t include those enrolled in Tricare Prime Remote Overseas.

This waiver doesn’t apply to those overseas, according to Defense Health Agency officials. Active duty families enrolled in Tricare Prime Remote Overseas will still pay the pharmacy copayment.

Tricare beneficiaries don’t pay for prescriptions at military pharmacies. Active duty personnel don’t pay cost-shares or co-pays at retail pharmacies for covered medications.

Active duty family members won’t have to take action for the change to take effect, and they won’t have to file their own claims for reimbursement, officials said. Those who fill a covered prescription starting Feb. 28 will automatically have a copayment of $0.

“We welcome this new policy, which honestly is long overdue,” Eileen Huck, director of government relations for the National Military Family Association, told Military Times. “Families shouldn’t have to pay more for their prescriptions simply because they are not stationed near a [military treatment facility.]

“We appreciate that DHA recognized the needs of families in Tricare Prime Remote locations and made this change.”

Tricare open season

Tuesday, Dec. 9: The Tricare open season ends at midnight Eastern Standard Time. Beneficiaries can make changes to their Tricare health care plan, such as switching from Tricare Prime to Tricare Select. Visit tricare.mil/openseason to compare costs and plans and enroll. Online enrollment is also available through the Beneficiary Web Enrollment portal at milconnect.dmdc.osd.mil.

If beneficiaries don’t make changes now, the next chance is open season next year or a qualifying life event such as a birth.

This open season also includes a new option for beneficiaries in the Atlanta, Georgia, and Tampa, Florida, metropolitan areas through a demonstration project that provides a Tricare Prime option that doesn’t require referrals to in-network specialists. Find more details below.

The new coverage or changes in coverage made during open season for Tricare and other federal programs take effect Jan. 1, 2026.

Beneficiaries can check if their information is up to date in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System online at tricare.mil.deers.

Those who are satisfied with their health care plan don’t need to take action.

Tricare open season applies to those currently enrolled in or eligible for Tricare Prime, Tricare Prime Remote, U.S. Family Health Plan, Tricare Prime Demonstration Project, Tricare Prime Overseas, Tricare Prime Remote Overseas, Tricare Select and Tricare Select Overseas.

The open season doesn’t apply to individual active-duty service members or beneficiaries enrolled in Tricare for Life, where coverage is automatic for those who have Medicare Part A and Part B.

Those eligible for the premium-based plans — Tricare Reserve Select, Tricare Retired Reserve and Tricare Young Adult — can purchase the plans at any time of the year.

Dental, vision and tax-saving accounts

Monday, Dec. 8: The Federal Benefits Open Season ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Those eligible in the military community can enroll in dental coverage and vision coverage through the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program, or FEDVIP. Visit www.benefeds.gov for more information and to enroll. This open season ends a day earlier than the Tricare open season.

Monday, Dec. 8: As part of the Federal Benefits Open Season, service members can enroll in tax-savings accounts: a health care flexible spending account and a dependent care flexible spending account. These pre-tax accounts allow troops to set aside up to $3,400 in 2026 to pay for health care costs that Tricare doesn’t cover. Dependent care flexible spending accounts help defray the costs of child care and other dependent care. The Internal Revenue Service allows individuals to set aside up to $7,500 per year for dependent care costs if they are married and file a joint tax return or if they file as single or head of household. Visit fsafeds.gov for more information and to enroll.

Previous participation in these flexible spending programs doesn’t automatically carry over, meaning individuals must must enroll each year.

New Tricare Prime demo starts in 2026

Roughly 150,000 Tricare beneficiaries living in the Atlanta, Georgia, and Tampa, Florida, metropolitan areas will have a new Tricare Prime option next year through a demonstration project being conducted by the Defense Health Agency.

Those interested must enroll during open season. For more information and to enroll, visit enrolltricare.com, or call 877-996-9333 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. Those eligible can also enroll through the web enrollment portal at milconnect.dmdc.osd.mil by searching for Tricare Prime demo.

Information was not available about how many beneficiaries have signed up to date for the demonstration project.

CareSource Military and Veterans Co., of Dayton, Ohio, will run three-year demonstration projects for the two areas, under contracts worth a combined total of $110 million.

Those eligible are active-duty family members; family members of activated National Guard or Reserve members; retirees, their family members or survivors who aren’t eligible for Medicare; and those enrolled in the Transitional Compensation Program.

A key benefit for those enrolled in Tricare Prime through this project is that they won’t be required to get referrals for in-network specialty care, as is normally required in Tricare Prime.

“We’ve received positive feedback from beneficiaries enrolling in the Tricare Prime demo … especially regarding their ability to see in-network specialists without referrals,” CareSource officials said in a statement to Military Times. “Many beneficiaries also indicated that maintaining their providers and comprehensive coverage was an important factor in their decision.”

For the first year of the demonstration project, enrollment fees are waived for retirees, their family members and survivors. Active-duty service members, their family members and transitional survivors don’t pay Tricare Prime enrollment fees.

While those in Tricare Select currently don’t have to get referrals, they could choose to switch to the Tricare Prime demo option which doesn’t require referrals and also provides the additional benefit of case management and care coordination for those who need it.

CareSource will help Tricare families navigate finding a provider, getting an appointment and providing more hands-on personal support.

CareSource Military and Veterans is part of CareSource, a national nonprofit managed care organization with more than 2 million members.

Other stores, including military shops, acknowledge that at some point they’re going to run out of pennies and have made plans to address it. For now, military customers may want to empty those piggy banks before heading out to pay cash for holiday shopping.

Beginning Jan. 1 — or sooner if penny supplies run out — cashiers at Army and Air Force Exchange Service stores will round cash purchases up or down to the nearest nickel or dime, according to AAFES spokeswoman Julie Mitchell.

Navy Exchanges will also begin rounding up or down when their registers are out of pennies, according to Navy Exchange Service Command spokeswoman Kristine Sturkie.

The moves come on the heels of penny production being stopped after 232 years. The United States Mint struck its final penny on Nov. 12.

In February, President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. Mint to stop producing pennies, citing cost savings. Over the past decade, the cost of producing each 1-cent coin has risen from 1.42 cents to 3.69 cents, according to the U.S. Mint. Fewer people are using cash for purchases, and some have advocated for the retirement of the 1-cent coin for years.

With that change, banks are no longer able to order the coin, and merchants in multiple regions of the country have run out, according to the Associated Press.

The penny is still legal tender, meanwhile, and there are an estimated 300 billion of them in circulation, far exceeding the amount needed for commerce, according to the U.S. Mint.

Here’s what to expect:

This change will not impact overseas military exchanges, where cashiers have already been rounding up or down for cash purchases for years. AAFES stores overseas have been rounding since 1980.

AAFES: If the last digit of the purchase is 3, 4, 6 or 7, the purchase will be rounded to the nearest nickel. If the last digit of the total purchase ends in 1, 2, 8 or 9, the total purchase will be rounded to the nearest dime, according to AAFES’ Mitchell.

Navy Exchanges: If the change due ends in 1, 2, 6 or 7, it will be rounded down to the nearest 5 cents. If the change ends in 3, 4, 8 or 9, it will be rounded up.

These rounding policies only apply to cash transactions and don’t affect credit, debit or gift card purchases. Those customers still pay the exact price.

The decision — outlined in a post in the Federal Register — would undo the September 2022 order by the previous presidential administration allowing VA medical personnel to conduct abortions in cases of rape, incest and pregnancies that endanger the life or health of an individual.

That policy marked the first time VA physicians were permitted to perform abortions on federal property, even in states where it had been outlawed. The new interim rule revokes that authority, and will require patients seeking abortions to seek that medical care outside the VA system.

In a statement accompanying the proposal, department officials said the move is designed “to ensure that VA provides only needed medical services to our nation’s heroes and their families.” They argued that the decision to provide abortion services was a political one, and not a response to need.

In June 2022, the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion nationwide. Since then, 20 states have outlawed or severely restricted abortion services, prompting a national debate over federal departments’ responsibilities and limits in regards to reproductive health services for women veterans.

The rule has been in the works since late July, but has not been publicized by department leaders or White House officials. Per federal regulations, the proposal will now undergo public comment and additional review before becoming permanent policy, but is essentially already being enforced within the department.

It impacts individuals using both VA health care services and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Abortion rights advocates decried the move as an attack on critical medical options for veterans and their family members.

“This proposed rule is a smack in the face to those who have served our country and their loved ones, stripping pregnant women of their bodily autonomy and restricting their access to abortion,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward.

“Once again, extreme politicians are attempting to interfere in patient-doctor decision-making, intentionally eroding the trust between pregnant people and their medical providers.”

Nancy Northup, president and CEO at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said the move deprives veterans of “life-changing” health care options.

“After veterans put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms, the Trump administration is trying to rob them of their own freedoms and putting their health at risk,” she said. “This administration is sending a clear message to veterans: that their health and dignity aren’t worth defending.”

Democratic lawmakers voiced similar concerns.

“The bottom line is, Republicans don’t care if your health is in danger, if you’re a veteran, or if you’ve been raped — they want abortion outlawed everywhere, in every circumstance, for everyone,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. and a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said in a statement over the weekend.

“This administration has shown nothing but callous disregard for veterans’ lives, their health care, and their livelihoods—especially when those veterans happen to be women.”

But Republican lawmakers praised the move, accusing President Joe Biden’s administration of overreach with the changes made three years ago.

“Taxpayers do not want their hard-earned money spent on paying for abortions and VA’s sole focus should always be providing service-connected health care and benefits to the veterans they serve,” a group of six House lawmakers led by House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., said in a statement. “House Republicans, alongside President Trump, will always stand up for the sanctity of life.”

In their Federal Register filing, VA leaders said the change will not prevent physicians from providing life-saving care in cases of ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages, since other provisions within the law already mandate those protections.

They also pushed back on the presumed demand for abortion services within the veterans community. Department statistics show that roughly 100 veterans and 40 CHAMPVA beneficiaries have received abortions through VA medical centers annually since the policy change in 2022.

But Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee ranking member Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., noted in his criticism of the rule change that nearly 500,000 women veterans of reproductive age are enrolled in VA health care, with more than half of them living in states with abortion restrictions.

“We cannot let VA stop providing this care to veterans by ripping away this narrow, targeted protection,” he said in a statement. “I will be fighting as hard and long as possible to reverse this cruel, dangerous new policy.”

The public comment period on the new rule change is open until Sept. 5.

Officials from the National Veterans Legal Services Program, which helped bring the legal suit, said more than 9,000 individuals nationwide could benefit from the ruling. In a statement, Executive Director Paul Wright said the move means that those veterans “will finally receive the full amount of the compensation they earned through their service and sacrifice.”

The case — Soto v. United States — has been winding through the federal courts since 2017 and has been pending before the Supreme Court since last fall. Arguments on the issue took place in April.

The plaintiff, Marine Corps veteran Simon Soto, served for six years on active-duty including two tours. He suffered post-traumatic stress related to his work in the search and recovery of war casualties.

When Soto was medically discharged from the service, he was awarded permanent medical disability retirement. Ten years later, he applied for the military’s combat-related special compensation program, which awards retroactive pay for certain service-related injuries.

Military officials determined Soto qualified for the program, but granted him only six years of back pay, asserting a six-year statute of limitations on claims. The lawsuit, filed by NVLSP and Sidley Austin LLP, argued that limit was arbitrary and not supported by current law.

The Supreme Court overturned lower court rulings supporting the military’s position, unanimously agreeing that there should be no six-year cap.

“Where, as here, the statutory scheme involves a small group of particularly deserving claimants, it is not extraordinary to think that Congress wished to forgo a limitations period,” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the high court’s decision.

“Further, the [program] statute clearly authorizes the secretary concerned to determine claimants’ eligibility according to specific criteria, and those criteria say nothing about time limits.”

The ruling applies to all veterans receiving the combat-related special compensation who were capped because of the six-year time limit. Veterans can contact the legal services program to see if they qualify for additional compensation.

The plan — which now moves to the full House for consideration — is the first portion of the annual federal budget approved by either chamber’s appropriations committee.

But despite the typical bipartisan nature of the veterans bill, the 36-27 approval vote from the panel came after nearly 12 hours of grueling, contentious debate, with dozens of Democratic amendments rejected by the Republican majority.

The budget bill (which also includes $18 billion for military construction projects) is an increase in total VA program and benefits spending of more than $83 billion, or about 22%, from the fiscal 2025 approved levels.

But nearly all of that boost is in mandatory funding, tied up in medical programs and veterans benefits payouts. Discretionary funding — money for new program starts and support services — would rise to about $134 billion, up about 4% but about $1 billion less than what the White House requested in its fiscal 2026 budget plan.

Still, Republican leaders praised the measure as an important step forward in providing promised care and support to veterans.

“We have an obligation to ensure our veterans get the benefits and care they’ve earned,” said Rep. John Carter, R-Texas and chairman of the appropriations’ panel’s subcommittee on veterans issues. “This bill does that, while also addressing other issues affecting veterans, including homelessness, mental health services and taking care of our women veterans.”

The plan includes $34 billion for community care programs, which allow veterans to receive medical treatment at private-sector clinics paid for by taxpayer funds. That’s up nearly 55% from this year’s community care funding levels, prompting accusations of privatization from committee Democrats.

“By transferring record funding from VA medical services into community care, this bill pushes veterans into private care, even though veteran polls and studies show that when given the option, veterans want to receive their medical care at VA,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. and ranking member of the committee’s veterans panel.

“We should invest more in VA, provider recruitment and retention incentives, increase benefits counselors and adjudicators, not ignore veterans wishes and speed recklessly into privatization.”

Democratic lawmakers attempted to reallocate some of those funds through amendments, but those efforts were rebuffed. They also objected to provisions in the bill blocking abortion counseling and services at VA, halting department efforts to reduce its workforce by roughly 80,000 workers in coming months, and ending support options for some minority groups.

However, the committee did adopt one amendment by Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., that would block any reductions in staffing at the Veterans Crisis Line and other VA suicide prevention programs.

House Appropriations Committee ranking member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said during Tuesday’s debate that she hopes the appropriations package will see significant changes before a full chamber vote later this summer, particularly since White House officials have yet to release a detailed budget plan for the department next year.

House leaders have not yet announced when that vote will take place. Both the House and Senate will need to negotiate a full budget for the federal government before a compromise package can be signed into law. The new fiscal year starts on Oct. 1.

Veterans Affairs leaders have seen regular budget increases annually for more than 20 years, even amid frequent congressional and White House efforts to reduce federal spending.

In fiscal 2001, the VA budget — both mandatory and discretionary — totaled just $45 billion. In 2011, it was about $125 billion. In fiscal 2023, the total topped $300 billion for the first time.

If approved, the fiscal 2026 VA budget would surpass $400 billion in spending, marking an increase of more than 900% over the last 25 years.

The proposal also includes a host of controversial social items that drew immediate condemnation from Democratic lawmakers who promised a fight over the measure.

“This bill needlessly fixates on keeping guns in the hands of those who are potentially a danger to themselves or others, and restricts reproductive rights, and [includes] other cruel and pointless policy restrictions,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said in a statement.

“I cannot tell those currently serving and those who defended our nation that this is the best we can do.”

The budget plan is expected to be voted on by a House Appropriations Committee panel on Thursday morning. Republican lawmakers praised the proposal as “maintaining our commitment to the well-being of both service members and veterans.”

The appropriations bill represents an $83 billion boost from Congress’ approved spending plan for VA in fiscal 2025. That’s an increase of more than 22%, but nearly all of that boost is tied up in mandatory funding related to medical programs and veterans payouts.

Discretionary funding — money for new program starts and support services — would rise to about $134 billion, up about 4% but about $1 billion less than what the White House requested in its fiscal 2026 budget plan.

Almost all of that difference came in the VA Electronic Health Record Modernization initiative account. Spending for the project would double from this year’s spending under the plan, to about $2.5 billion. But that is nearly $1 billion less than what the White House requested.

Lawmakers have been skeptical of the 10-year, $16 billion project which began during President Donald Trump’s first term in office. The effort to modernize health records has been marked by numerous complications and delays, but VA Secretary Doug Collins has promised to restart the effort in coming months.

The legislation also includes provisions to block VA from providing abortions or abortion-related counseling at department medical centers — a priority of the previous administration — and prohibit vaccination requirements for any department health care personnel.

Republicans also included language that would bar the department from reporting veterans found financially incompetent from being reported to the National Instant Background Check System.

Republicans have called it an unnecessary infringement of Second Amendment rights. Democrats have criticized the provision as undermining gun safety efforts.

The VA funding bill also includes about $18 billion for military construction projects, an increase of about 3% from fiscal 2025. That includes $830 million for child development centers and barracks improvements.

The budget plan is expected to advance Thursday since Republicans control the majority in both chambers of Congress. However, any funding plan would need some level of bipartisan support to advance in the Senate, because of filibuster rules there.

The VA budget plan is unlikely to be signed into law until the entire fiscal 2026 funding plan for the federal government is agreed upon by congressional leaders. Negotiations for that are expected to last through the summer.

Veterans Affairs planners have seen regular budget increases annually for more than 20 years, even amid periodic congressional and White House efforts to reduce federal spending.

In fiscal 2001, the VA budget — both mandatory and discretionary — totaled just $45 billion. In 2011, it was about $125 billion. In fiscal 2023, the total topped $300 billion for the first time.