Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. In a moment I will yield to the bill's sponsor, Mr. Coffman, for a more detailed description. The goal of this legislation is to improve the way VA manages its major construction projects. Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that VA has a poor track record in managing major medical facility projects. Major construction projects are routinely completed years late and tens of millions of dollars over budget. Unfortunately, the critically needed VA hospital being constructed in Aurora, Colorado, for instance, has run into major problems, as have a handful of others around the country. This legislation would direct the inclusion of an outside entity, the Army Corps of Engineers, which has a record of on-time, on-budget completion of projects, to assist in the management of VA's major facility construction efforts. No longer can veterans afford to wait years for needed facilities to open. This bill finally would move VA away from the status quo, which clearly has not served veterans or the taxpayers well at all. {time} 1915 I would like to commend my colleague and friend, Representative Mike Coffman, and applaud his leadership on this important issue. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.”