VA Secretary Bob McDonald testified to the House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee<\/a> that the department has 336 buildings nationwide that are less than half-occupied, many of which are completely unused.<\/p>\n The combined maintenance cost for such sites totals above $24 million each year.<\/p>\n Secretary McDonald also pointed out that 1,300 of VA<\/a> facilities are at least 70 years old and are in dire need of upgrades and new infrastructure.<\/p>\n Business logic would point to the need to close some of these underutilized buildings. In his testimony, Secretary McDonald stated, \u201c”No business would carry such a portfolio. Veterans deserve much better. It’s time to close the VA’s old substandard and underutilized infrastructure.”<\/p>\n However, the political reality is far more complicated. As one Florida representative quipped \u201cWe support closing some of the VA facilities\u2026just as long as you don\u2019t close any in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, closures would mean the loss of jobs, angry constituents at home for congressional representatives, and (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" VA Secretary Bob McDonald testified to the House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee that the department has 336 buildings nationwide that are less than half-occupied, many of which are completely unused. The combined maintenance cost for such sites totals above $24 million…<\/span><\/p>\n