Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) on Thursday failed to gain the needed support on the Senate floor for his Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill that would funds veteran’s care at record levels and extend whistleblower protections to Veterans Administration doctors and nurses.
Additionally, the bill would have provided construction reforms to prevent the VA from wasting taxpayer money on poorly managed projects.
Although the bill passed out of the full Senate Appropriations Committee in May with a bipartisan vote of 21-9, the legislation did not garner the votes necessary to move forward in the Senate.
"The members who voted against this bill (Thursday) voted against supporting our veterans,” Kirk said. “My bill funds the VA at record levels, increasing funding by $4.2 billion, and provides much-needed protections for doctors and nurses who report abuse and misconduct at our hospitals. Funding for our veterans is not a partisan issue and I am disappointed my colleagues on the other side of the aisle refused to support this increase in care."
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