Senator Johnny Isakson is the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and his office issued the following:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amanda Maddox, 202-224-7777
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Senate Approves Funding for New Denver VA Hospital, Temporarily Avoids Construction Shutdown
Isakson
to VA, Obama administration: ‘…take responsibility for this deeply
flawed project and develop a workable plan to get the job done once and
for all.’
WASHINGTON
– U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee
on Veterans’ Affairs, today praised the Senate
passage of legislation that will allow the construction of the new
Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) medical center in Denver to
continue.
The
legislation authorizes the VA to use $150 million in its existing
fiscal year 2015 budget for the project in order to avoid a looming
shutdown on June 12, 2015 and provide enough funding to continue
construction through at least the end of this fiscal year.
Since
construction began in 2012, the seriously flawed project has been
plagued by numerous delays and hundreds of millions of dollars in cost
overruns. Originally slated at $800 million for the project,
the medical center is now expected to cost taxpayers $1.7 billion –
making this hospital the most expensive construction project in the VA’s
history.
“From the very beginning, this project has been about making sure Colorado veterans get the care they deserve,”
said Isakson. “I’m proud
to join Sen. Gardner in introducing legislation that will allow
construction to continue and give the Department of Veterans Affairs
ample time to get its act
together and develop a workable plan to finish the project.”
“Congress has now done everything that it can to ensure the continuation of this project,”
Isakson continued.
“The VA and the administration
must now clean up the mess they’ve made. I urge Secretary McDonald and
President Obama to finally take responsibility for this deeply flawed
project and develop a workable plan to get the job done once and for
all.”
Last
month, Congress passed H.R.2496, which modestly increased funding
authorization to avoid another shutdown of the project after the VA
exceeded its original budget of $800 million. Upon passage,
Senator Isakson called on the VA to develop a plan to fund the
construction of the hospital using its own existing resources.
In
response, the VA submitted a plan to finish the project by reworking its
fiscal year 2016 budget, a move that, based on the options the VA
provided, would either cut funding to other construction
projects or drastically hinder the VA’s ability to provide health care
to veterans.
“Instead
of thoughtfully examining their budget to identify wasteful spending,
the VA has developed an irresponsible plan that would make unacceptable,
across-the-board cuts to vital programs for
veterans,” said Isakson.
“Both of the VA’s options – to take money from other VA construction
projects or take money from healthcare funding – rob veterans in other
parts of the country
of the care they deserve. These options are non-starters.”
The
legislation passed today will prevent a construction shutdown and allow
the VA to develop a feasible plan to reprogram its fiscal year 2016
funds without depriving other veterans of necessary services
or care.
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The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 114th Congress.
Isakson
is a veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard
from 1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate VA Committee since
he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home
state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations
representing each branch of the military as well as more than 750,000
veterans.
veterans
