House Committee on Veteran's Affairs Ranking Member Corrine Brown released the following statement:
"Because Speaker Boehner and the Republican leadership have callously failed to take action, work on the Denver VA Hospital will stop, putting hundreds of people out of work, costing the federal government millions of dollars, and denying Denver area veterans the healthcare they fought for and deserve. I believe this is irresponsible and heartless! During last week's meeting with the appropriators and authorizing leaders from both the House and Senate, as well as VA Secretary McDonald and Deputy Secretary Gibson, we had an agreement that failure is NOT an option, and that the Denver hospital needs to be completed and that we would continue working together to make that happen.
"When the health and well-being of our veterans is at stake, we must put politics aside and unite to get the job done. It is not fair to veterans who have served our country valiantly and need access to a health care facility close by to pull the plug on a project that is desperately needed by Denver area veterans.
"The VA has a cap on how much money it can spend on the project, and they will reach that cap in the next couple of weeks. When it does, there will be a tremendous cost associated with shutting down the project, and it will be an additional burden to taxpayers, the veterans and their families."
"The problems with the Denver facility did not pop up overnight. In fact, this project has been fraught with issues and politics for over a decade, and several VA Secretaries have been involved -- from both parties. We cannot in good conscience put the Denver facility on the back burner. Certainly, the situation we find ourselves in is not the fault of the veterans who are served by the Denver facility, and they deserve better than this."
"I have been working with other Members to find funding to finish the Denver project, as well as the funding to support the treatment regimen for some 234,000 veterans with Hepatitis C. All of our veterans deserve access to quality care, and I remain dedicated to working with my colleagues on the Veterans' Affairs Committee and the Appropriators to find solutions to support our veterans."