Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from Colorado. As chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, I introduced H.R. 3593, the VA Construction Assistance Act, along with my friend and ranking member, Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona, to address significant problems with the VA's construction practices, problems which became public knowledge through our subcommittee's work. My proposed reforms are designed to speed construction and rein in the out-of-control costs of three major VA regional projects under development in Aurora, Colorado; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Orlando, Florida. We introduced this legislation late last year based on the investigative work of our subcommittee and in response to a Government Accountability Office report that found that VA's major construction projects had been mired in mismanagement. The report concluded early last year that these projects are more than $360 million each over budget and almost 3 years on average behind schedule. The VA Construction Assistance Act implements GAO-recommended reforms by assigning medical equipment planners to these construction projects and streamlining the change order process. The proposal also goes a step further by requiring the assignment of an emergency manager from the Army Corps of Engineers, independent of the VA, to oversee these projects, and only these three major medical facility projects, currently under construction.…”