US House Rep Jeff Miller is the Chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Last week his office issued the following press release:
Mar 18, 2015
WASHINGTON – Chairman Miller released the following statement today regarding the biggest construction failure in VA history.
“VA’s entire construction program is a disaster and has been for years. Nearly every major VA hospital construction project is behind schedule and hundreds of millions over budget. In Colorado, a replacement VA hospital is more than $1 billion over budget and isn’t even close to completion. VA’s construction problems have been documented by the Government Accountability Office and at numerous congressional hearings. Every single member of VA’s top leadership is fully aware of these issues, yet the senior executives who presided over the mismanagement that led to them remain firmly entrenched at VA, where they collect generous taxpayer-funded salaries. No reasonable person could conclude that VA Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction Principal Executive Director Glenn Haggstrom and VA Office of Construction and Facilities Management Executive Director Stella Fiotes are doing a good job. Therefore, I am calling upon VA’s leadership to fire them immediately. As part of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act, Congress gave VA leaders the authority to immediately fire VA senior executives for poor performance. It’s well past time for the department to fire Haggstrom and Fiotes or explain to America’s veterans and American taxpayers why these individuals have earned the right to continued VA employment.” – Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
Related
Colorado VA Hospital Construction Is More Than $1 Billion Over Budget
The Wall Street Journal
March 17, 2015
VA CONSTRUCTION: Additional Actions Needed to Decrease Delays and Lower Costs of Major Medical-Facility Projects
Government Accountability Office
April 2013
“VA’s entire construction program is a disaster and has been for years. Nearly every major VA hospital construction project is behind schedule and hundreds of millions over budget. In Colorado, a replacement VA hospital is more than $1 billion over budget and isn’t even close to completion. VA’s construction problems have been documented by the Government Accountability Office and at numerous congressional hearings. Every single member of VA’s top leadership is fully aware of these issues, yet the senior executives who presided over the mismanagement that led to them remain firmly entrenched at VA, where they collect generous taxpayer-funded salaries. No reasonable person could conclude that VA Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction Principal Executive Director Glenn Haggstrom and VA Office of Construction and Facilities Management Executive Director Stella Fiotes are doing a good job. Therefore, I am calling upon VA’s leadership to fire them immediately. As part of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act, Congress gave VA leaders the authority to immediately fire VA senior executives for poor performance. It’s well past time for the department to fire Haggstrom and Fiotes or explain to America’s veterans and American taxpayers why these individuals have earned the right to continued VA employment.” – Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
Related
Colorado VA Hospital Construction Is More Than $1 Billion Over Budget
The Wall Street Journal
March 17, 2015
VA CONSTRUCTION: Additional Actions Needed to Decrease Delays and Lower Costs of Major Medical-Facility Projects
Government Accountability Office
April 2013
