Read the sentence from "Caring for Vets Should Be National Duty."

"In advance of this year's Veterans Day, on Nov. 11, the legions of men and women who have served in our nation's military received some welcoming news: Congress finally agree to fund the VA Mission Act, which since its June passage had been mired in budgetary disputes."

What is the connotative meaning of the word welcoming as it is used in this sentence?