Construction Authorization and Choice Improvement Act

Floor Speech

Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I thank all of my colleagues for the
progress we have been making on a very bipartisan basis.

I particularly wish to thank the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs
Committee for working so diligently on an immediate and temporary
solution to advance the Aurora project and enable us to keep it going.
Our visit out there illustrated to us the importance of this project
which my two colleagues and friends from Colorado have described so
well and eloquently.

I thank my friend from the great State of Kansas. He and I have
worked to make sure veterans are really served by the CHOICE program,
along with the chairman, who has understood and enabled us to work
together on a bill which will be passed by unanimous consent, I hope,
and will be passed by the House of Representatives, I hope, by
unanimous consent. But if not, as I have committed to him, I will
continue to work to make sure the 40-mile rule and choice mean veterans
are served by a facility that can give them the care they need and
deserve. Our heroes ought not to have to travel great distances or wait
an inordinate amount of time to receive medical care that is so vital
and so well deserved by them. They have earned it, and they ought to
have it.

I thank my colleagues for working so well and diligently on this
effort.

I yield the floor.

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