Construction Authorization and Choice Improvement Act

Floor Speech

Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I want to take this opportunity to thank
my colleagues for lifting the authorization cap to allow construction
to continue on the VA hospital in Aurora, CO. This project has been an
absolutely shameful display of mismanagement from the very beginning.
And the Colorado delegation has been screaming from the hilltops about
a flawed strategy on the part of the VA for years now. But with the
right accountability and transparency reforms, we have all concluded
that the right thing to do is to move forward and complete this
facility. And today, we have acknowledged that the worst possible thing
we could do is to stop work on the construction site again. Doing so
would add hundreds of millions of dollars in extra costs to the project
and would be a grave disservice to veterans throughout Colorado. This
is an important step, but we have a long way to go.

The VA and Congress are going to have to work together to get this
project back on track. And finding the money to do this will be
painful, which is why we need to ensure strong accountability and that
we protect critical programs and services for our veterans. Failing to
complete this hospital, though, simply is not an option.
Having a half-finished hospital in Colorado would be a national
disgrace. And the hundreds of thousands of veterans across the Rocky
Mountain region that this hospital would service deserve better.

I especially want to thank Chairman Isakson and Ranking Member
Blumenthal for their work on this project and for their commitment to
finishing the hospital. And, I want to thank my colleague Senator
Gardner for his work--especially in the last hours--to avoid a shut
down.

Mr. President, before I turn this over to my colleague from Colorado,
I thank Chairman Isakson for his extraordinary leadership in getting
this done. It was very difficult to do.

Senator Isakson and Senator Blumenthal came to Colorado. They are
both men of their word, and I have never doubted that for an instant.
The chairman has set an incredible example for this body.

I also thank the Senator from Kansas for his work on this
legislation.

My colleague, Senator Gardner, from Colorado, has been a true
champion for our veterans. He has helped us keep our delegation
together as we have gone through a rough patch here and, through the
Chair, I thank him for his leadership.

I yield the floor to my colleague from Colorado.

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