by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on how to cover the cost of the $1.73 billion hospital in Aurora is not the perfect solution, but at least it is a decent start.
The two-tier idea would re-route $150 million from the VA’s 2015 budget to keep construction going through Sept. 30.
This short-term fix needs to happen because the funding boost last month will run out in a week and construction will stop.
The second part to the VA’s plan is more complicated and possibly more troublesome, politically.
It calls for a 1 percent, across-the-board cut to the VA’s discretionary accounts in the 2016 budget. That would free up $625 million, including money from medical research to the National Cemetery Administration.
Is this sledgehammer approach the best way to go? Maybe not. Those in affected programs are likely to howl.
But at least the VA has put something on the table, following demands from to come up with a detailed plan for moving forward.
This approach is a good-faith effort and should get a clear-eyed look from Congress.
As Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., said Friday, it’s time for the House leadership, which rejected an earlier VA proposal, to begin working with the agency to find an acceptable solution.
of having the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversee the management of the VA’s more complex projects.
by Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., that would redirect the millions of dollars for VA employee bonuses to the Aurora hospital project.
And we support the call by Sens. Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner for the Government Accountability Office to investigate the Aurora hospital fiasco and other projects in surrounding states.
People do need to be held accountable. But time is running out. Congress should give a serious look at what the VA has proposed. The region needs this hospital. The only solution will come from negotiations, and this plan is a good first step.
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