WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the below statement after the Senate voted 100-0 confirm Dr. David Shulkin as Secretary of Veterans Affairs (V-A):

“I want to congratulate Dr. David Shulkin on his confirmation as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. While the V-A has made significant progress in recent years to improve access, there are still too many veterans in Virginia and across the country that are waiting too long and traveling too far to obtain medical care. That’s why I’ve introduced legislation that would expand access to care for veterans by authorizing long-awaited leases for 24 V-A medical facilities in 15 states, including a 155,000 square foot outpatient facility in Hampton Roads, Va.

“Authorizing these leases is a necessary and vital step in improving access to the care and services veterans have earned through their service to this country. I am encouraged that Dr. Shulkin acknowledges the urgency of authorizing these medical facilities, and I look forward to working with him on this and other efforts to improve services for our nation's veterans.”

Last month, Sen. Warner introduced the bipartisan Providing Veterans Overdue Care Act to authorize 24 leases for medical facilities in 15 states, including Virginia.  

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