Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush is citing at the VA hospital in Aurora as part of his justification for a plan to revamp the veteran services.
Bush outlined this week and will visit the Denver area Tuesday to discuss it with local veterans in his first public campaign event in Colorado.
The 2016 candidate and former Florida governor is highlighting the 2014 scandal about at Department of Veteran Affairs hospitals and the over-spending on new facilities as part a broader plan to give former military members more flexibility in receiving health care.
The extra costs at new VA hospitals, such as the one in Aurora, demonstrate that “the VA has no business being in the construction industry,” Bush’s plan says. “It should stick to tending to the wounded. The practice is outmoded and would be better accomplished by more relevant federal agencies.”
Bush’s town hall event at VFW Post 9644 in Englewood starts at 8:30 a.m. and is open to .
The evening before the event, Bush will appear at a Denver fundraiser where co-hosts must raise $10,000 for his campaign. Other supporters are asked to give $2,700, the maximum donation, or $1,000. The minimum ticket price is $250, according to an invitation obtained by The Denver Post and the campaign.
This is Bush’s first official campaign visit to the state, but he held in Denver in April as he was finalizing his bid. In 2014, Bush also visited the state to for Colorado candidates.
John Frank: 303-954-2409, jfrank@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ByJohnFrank
