A group of eight U.S. senators is urging Senate appropriators to commit $2 billion of the Bipartisan Budget Agreement Act of 2018 for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) infrastructure repairs and modernization.
This is the funds’ intended purpose and the senators want to ensure that the funds are being used for private sector programs.
“Increased funding for VA medical facilities will make significant progress in reducing the nationwide backlog in VA construction and infrastructure work that has impacted veterans’ access to critical medical and long-term care services,” the senators said in a letter. “VA is the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States, yet many of its facilities are over 50 years old and are in desperate need of modernization. As VA facilities deteriorate, veterans are left without accessible care. It is not a choice when veterans are forced to seek care through the private sector because they cannot seek care safely within the VA.”
The letter was sent to Jerry Moran (R-KS), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, and Ranking Member Brian Schatz (D-HI).
The group was led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and included Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jon Tester (D-MT), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).