September 29, 2015 10:17 AM UTC

Funding for Aurora VA Hospital Teeters; Coffman Sits on His Hands

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: It certainly appears as though Rep. Mike Coffman was taken outside to the ol’ wood shed for a nice talk. Mark Matthews updates his story for the Denver Post:

Coffman, who sits on the House veterans committee, said Miller decided to introduce the bill in spite of his reservations.

“He went forward certainly without me,” Coffman said in an interview Monday morning.

Later in the day, however, his office asked to clarify his statement and make note that Coffman supported Miller. [Pols emphasis] 

“No doubt, I strongly believe that the House approach is right, but my guess is that there will be a compromise that lands somewhere between the House and Senate versions,” Coffman said in a statement.

Way to stick to your guns, Rep. Coffman. You’re quite the leader.

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Mark Matthews of the Denver Post has the latest on how the federal budget battle may impact funding for the Aurora VA Hospital Project. Congressman Jeff Miller (R-FL),the Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, is adamant that any new funding authorized by Congress for the VA Hospital must also slash $200 million set aside for bonuses for VA employees — a proposal that was not included by the Senate last week:

On Friday, the Senate  agreed unanimously to the new $1.675 billion price tag, but without Miller’s stipulation that part of the funding come from VA employee bonuses.

It’s that provision that had Colorado lawmakers wringing their hands to start the week. This is the third time this year that a funding fight for the Aurora hospital has come down to the 11th hour in Congress.

“I’m concerned,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora. “I understand what the chairman wants to do. I think he’s right from a policy standpoint. But my position is that we can’t have a shutdown.” [Pols emphasis]

Should Miller’s pass the House, there is little desire in the Senate to include his stipulation about VA bonuses; in part because VA officials have said the pot of money targeted by Miller goes to VA employees such as doctors who work long hours. Given the impasse — and the short deadline — Miller’s move adds a new wrinkle of drama to a project that  already has seen plenty of it.

First off, it is completely and utterly absurd for Congressman Mike Coffman to say that his position “is that we can’t have a shutdown.” Earlier this month, Coffman joined the rest of Colorado’s Republican delegation in voting to ban federal funding for Planned Parenthood — a partisan political move that is the single biggest hurdle to avoiding a shutdown. Coffman can’t say that “we can’t have a shutdown” when he has already cast votes that everybody knew would only increase the odds of the second federal government shutdown in three years; this is kind of like talking about being a vegetarian over cocktails and then ordering the porterhouse steak for dinner.

Even more damaging for Coffman, however, is his continual inability to do anything that might ensure that the Aurora VA Hospital is finally completed. Again, from the Post:

Coffman, who sits on the House veterans committee, said Miller decided to introduce the bill in spite of his objections.

“He went forward certainly without me,” Coffman said.

Coffman is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations for the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and the Aurora VA Hospital project is the single biggest issue in his own Congressional district. It would seem that just about everybody is “moving forward” without Coffman.