Political Quotes

“These organizations all oppose the Clinton-Enzi amendment because they understand the problem the VA has. In 1999, the General Accounting Office found that VA could spend billions of dollars operating hundreds of unneeded buildings over the next 5 years. The GAO reported that the VA wastes more than $1 million per day on medical care funds for unneeded infrastructure instead of direct patient care. This money could be used to provide medical care to over 100,000 veterans. Our committee, the VA-HUD committee, after the GAO report, directed the VA to do something about it, to develop a comprehensive strategy. Thus, in 1999, under the Clinton administration, the VA created the CARES Commission to address this concern. I have traveled around the State of Missouri. I have seen firsthand the need for construction funds to update surgical and intensive care units. By the way, I gave at the office. One of the first closures the VA instituted was of a surgery center in the State of Missouri because they weren't doing enough surgeries to be proficient. I believed our veterans needed the best care. So now we have a primary care facility and we send them to a surgical hospital where they do enough surgeries to be proficient and safe. We know we have different needs from veterans than when the VA was set up many years ago. The Clinton-Enzi amendment would deny over $600 million in construction funds to build new hospitals in States such as Nevada, Florida, and Colorado.”