On the recordJune 4, 2015
I thank the Senator from Arizona for that additional time and for his commitment and the ranking member's commitment to our national security. I deeply appreciate it. Amendment No. 1540 Mr. President, I would like to talk briefly about amendment 1540, which the Senate will consider shortly. I am here with my colleague Senator Gardner from Colorado. We are here on this bipartisan amendment to require the Government Accounting Office to audit the way the Veterans' Administration constructs major medical facilities and help identify exactly where the money went on some of these projects. The Veterans' Administration is building several major medical facilities across the country, including one in Aurora, CO. The project in Colorado has been grossly mismanaged leading to excessive cost overruns. Other projects across the country have had similar problems for years. For years, our delegation and practically anyone who has been involved with the Aurora project--almost anybody who has driven by the Aurora project has pushed the VA to acknowledge that there is actually a problem and to come up with a plan to fix it. Unfortunately, the VA has so far failed to do this, and veterans across the Rocky Mountain region have continued to wait for this new medical center.…
