{"id":70825,"date":"2022-06-27T18:19:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-27T18:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/06\/27\/vas-hospital-closure-commision-wont-move-ahead-after-senators-vow-to-block-the-effort\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:04:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:04:53","slug":"vas-hospital-closure-commision-wont-move-ahead-after-senators-vow-to-block-the-effort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/27\/vas-hospital-closure-commision-wont-move-ahead-after-senators-vow-to-block-the-effort\/","title":{"rendered":"Senators vow to block VA\u2019s hospital closure commission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A bipartisan group of senators, including the chairman of the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee, on Monday announced plans to block the veterans <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2022\/03\/14\/dozens-of-va-medical-centers-slated-for-closure-total-rebuilds-under-new-infrastructure-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\">Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission<\/a>, saying the process is flawed and unneeded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The move all but ends more than five years of efforts to significantly cut back the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2022\/05\/26\/sweeping-changes-to-vas-medical-facilities-across-america-on-hold-due-to-missing-nominee\/\" target=\"_blank\">Department of Veterans\u2019 Affairs footprint across America<\/a>, and throws into question the long-term plans for what new facilities should be built to provide medical care to veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the opponents of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/04\/01\/should-va-move-ahead-with-a-brac-style-commission-to-shutter-some-hospitals\/\" target=\"_blank\">AIR Commission efforts<\/a> \u2014 led by Jon Tester, D-Mont., chairman of the veterans committee and one of the chamber\u2019s most influential voices on veterans policy decisions \u2014 said the slow pace of the work thus far coupled with the controversial recommendations put out by VA leaders earlier this year have made the process unworkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/03\/14\/dozens-of-va-medical-centers-slated-for-closure-total-rebuilds-under-new-infrastructure-plan\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6310214164_210cffd497_k.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Dozens of VA medical centers slated for closure, total rebuilds under new infrastructure plan<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The plan still must be reviewed by an independent commission and approved by Congress before changes start to go into effect.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs senators, we share a commitment to expanding and strengthening modern VA infrastructure in a way that upholds our obligations to America\u2019s veterans. We believe the recommendations put forth to the AIR Commission are not reflective of that goal, and would put veterans in both rural and urban areas at a disadvantage,\u201d the group said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat is why we are announcing that this process does not have our support and will not move forward. The commission is not necessary for our continued push to invest in VA health infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The group includes Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.; Mike Rounds, R-S.D.; and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. Those four last month introduced legislation to completely eliminate the commission, saying the recommendations offered by VA leaders were too flawed to try and salvage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to those senators, seven more senators also signed on to the new pledge to block the commission: Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.; John Thune, R-S.D.; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Steve Daines, R-Mont.; Rob Portman, R-Ohio; and Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n, D-N.M.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The AIR Commission has been compared to the Defense Department\u2019s Base Closure and Realignment Commission, designed to reduce the military\u2019s footprint across America and return public land to local communities for new use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the VA asset review is more complicated. Congress passed language in 2018 mandating the commission meet, review thousands of VA facilities across the country and come up with a list of changes in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VA officials have said they have nearly 1,000 non-vacant but underused facilities spread across the country, creating a significant drain on department resources. Closing many of them would require an act of Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the law creating the commission was adopted, conservatives hyped the effort as a way to reduce wasteful spending on VA facilities and push more veterans services into private-sector care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Democratic leaders insisted the language was written broadly enough so that VA could either reduce or increase the number of VA medical sites across the country, with the goal of better aligning facilities with veterans needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In March, VA Secretary Denis McDonough unveiled his recommendations to the commission, which included hundreds of changes to facilities in every state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thirty-five Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in 21 different states would be closed or completely reconstructed under the nearly $2 trillion infrastructure overhaul. Fourteen new major VA hospitals would be built along with 140 multi-specialty community-based outpatient clinics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The plan in total would add 80 new medical buildings to the department\u2019s existing inventory of more than 1,200 across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many lawmakers and outside advocates hated it<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Conservatives said the Democratic administration\u2019s goals didn\u2019t go far enough to reduce VA\u2019s landholdings. Democratic lawmakers noted that many of the health care market assessments used in crafting the plan relied on pre-pandemic data, making them outdated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials from rural areas said the recommendations cut off services for too many veterans not living close to major U.S. cities. Staff in hospitals in New York and Ohio scheduled for eventual closure held rallies to protest the decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since March, the process has been stalled over commission nominees. The first eight were announced in the spring. The ninth, Thomas Harvey, wasn\u2019t announced until Wednesday. That delayed confirmation work on the whole group by months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The delay is particularly problematic because commission members by law only have until early 2023 to present any revisions to the secretary\u2019s plan. With less than a year left to complete site visits, new market assessments and staff interviews, the commission\u2019s workload appeared unrealistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/05\/26\/sweeping-changes-to-vas-medical-facilities-across-america-on-hold-due-to-missing-nominee\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6309731627_9344f1bdf1_h.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Sweeping changes to VA\u2019s medical facilities across America on hold due to missing nominee<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission has a deadline of Jan. 31, 2023, to finish its work.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, with 10 key senators promising to block those confirmations, the work may be impossible. Tester would be the one to schedule and lead confirmation hearings for the nominees, and he has no intention to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The group said their decision is not an attack on the nominees but instead on the process itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe remain dedicated to providing the department with the resources and tools it needs to continue delivering quality care and earned services to veterans in 21st century facilities, now and into the future,\u201d the group said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week, when asked whether the delay of the commission nominees would make the work on the AIR Commission thus far worthless, McDonough insisted that the framework behind the recommendations could form the basis of future planning discussions by the department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI define the entire project that the AIR Commission is designed around to be modernization,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are bound and determined to do right by our veterans, and that means upgrading our physical infrastructure. We will not be deterred from that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement Monday, VA officials said they will continue that work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPresident Biden has insisted that our weterans in the 21st century should not be forced to receive care in early 20th century buildings,\u201d said Melissa Bryant, acting Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs.  \u201cThe median age of VA\u2019s hospitals is nearly 60 years old, and that\u2019s why the president requested nearly $20 billion in new VA infrastructure spending last year and it is why he has requested the largest ever investment in VA infrastructure in his FY23  budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhatever Congress decides to do with the AIR Commission \u2014 which was called for in the 2018 Mission Act \u2014 we will continue to fight for the funding and modernization that our veterans deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Senate opponents said they are confident those kinds of changes can still be made without the AIR Commission itself moving ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ranking members of the Senate and House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee condemned the announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am astonished by the announcement today that several senators, including the Chairman of the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee, are refusing the fulfill their responsibility under the law to confirm members of the AIR Commission,\u201d said Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill.. \u201cThe MISSION Act was signed into law with broad support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and every major veterans service organization. It established an Asset and Infrastructure Review process &#8230; [that is vital] for the future of modern, state-of-the-art VA care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis decision does an immense disservice to veterans and VA staff who will feel its repercussions for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am disappointed that after more than a year delay, the committee will not be holding a confirmation hearing on the commissioners,\u201d he said in a statement. \u201cThis commission was designed to assess the 7,500 buildings the VA owns, leases and operates to determine how the buildings are utilized, whether facilities need updating, the funding necessary to upgrade facilities, and how efficiently health care is being delivered to our veterans. Many of the VA\u2019s facilities are empty, underutilized and severely outdated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe passed the VA Mission Act to address these issues but by refusing to confirm commissioners, we are essentially shutting down the work of the AIR Commission and possibly our only opportunity to fix this long-standing issue.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senators said the AIR Commission process has been flawed and unnecessary, despite nearly five years of 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By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Senators vow to block VA\u2019s hospital closure commission - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Senators said the AIR Commission process has been flawed and unnecessary, despite nearly five years of effort.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Senators vow to block VA\u2019s hospital closure commission\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Senators said the AIR Commission process has been flawed and unnecessary, despite nearly five years of effort.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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