House Appropriations Military Construction/VA Subcommittee Approves $119 million

Washington, DC – Today, the House Appropriations Military Construction/VA Subcommittee recommended spending $119 million to begin construction on a stand alone VA Hospital on the Fitzsimons campus in Aurora, CO.  The Military Construction and VA Appropriations bill now goes to the full House Appropriations Committee for full consideration.

“I am pleased $119 million has been recommended to finally turn dirt for a new stand alone VA hospital for Colorado.  We have gotten to this step because of the hard work of many people including Secretary Shinseki, my Colorado colleague on the Appropriations Committee – John Salazar and many others.  This project is my number one priority because we must provide world-class healthcare to the world-class soldiers who have sacrificed so much for us.  Construction of this new facility at Fitzsimons will help us to fulfill this commitment.  I will continue to work with Congress and the Administration to get this project started as quickly as possible,” stated Rep. Perlmutter.

“This is an incredible step forward for our veteran’s health care in Colorado and across the nation,” Congressman Salazar said.  “I want to thank Secretary Shinseki and President Obama for their support.  We have been working on this for over 10 years and as Chairman Chet Edwards said during our committee hearing this has been a ping pong ball going back and forth for far too long.  I want to commend Ed Perlmutter for his dedication to making this hospital a reality.  The $119 million will go a long way to making sure this project moves quickly and that Colorado veterans see results.”