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Posted: Feb 11, 2020 3:30 AMUpdated: Feb 11, 2020 3:30 AM

Lankford, Inhofe, Mullin, Hern, Stitt React to President Trump’s Proposal to Build VA Hospital in Tulsa

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Tom Davis

Monday afternoon, President Trump released his 2021 Presidential Budget Request, which identifies his goals and funding priorities for next year. The request includes funding to build a new hospital in Tulsa and is complemented with plans for a major investment in the Muskogee health facility to support a transformative specialty care facility. These new investments—along with ongoing commitment to the VA Call Center and Regional Benefits Administration in Muskogee—will improve care for our veterans while cementing Muskogee’s future as a VA hub. Over the past two years, Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and Representatives Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) and Kevin Hern (OK-01) have worked with Governor Kevin Stitt (R-OK), OSU Medical, the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, the City of Tulsa, and countless other community groups to make today’s announcement possible. While inclusion in the President’s budget is not a guarantee of congressional appropriations, it is a critical milestone in securing the completion of the project. 

“Our veterans deserve the best care possible. Today President Trump reiterated this commitment to the Oklahoma veteran community by prioritizing investment for a new VA hospital in Tulsa,” said Lankford. “Last year, Congress increased funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs to fulfill the MISSION Act which provides specialty care for veterans closer to home. It is right for us to continue to invest, through appropriations and public-private partnerships, in the individuals who have invested so much in our nation. The Tulsa community will help provide care for our Oklahoma veterans in the eastern part of the state, allowing the VA to focus on services that are veteran-specific and enabling non-federal providers to partner with the VHA for additional services for our veterans.”

“Taking care of our veterans is more than having good policies in place,” said Inhofe. “It’s also about ensuring that our facilities can provide exemplary service, specialized care and are accessible for our veterans. President Trump’s budget presents a roadmap for the future of our veterans care. Building a new hospital in Tulsa to serve a greater number of veterans in the region and installing a new behavioral health center in the Muskogee facility cements eastern Oklahoma’s importance to providing high-quality care for our veterans and addressing specialized care needs.

“This proposal positions the Muskogee VA to grow in the future. Muskogee provides vibrant community support and deep-rooted connection to serving veterans, so this new investment, which will increase the number of beds, enables the facility to transform its mission into a specialized care center for behavioral health,” Inhofe continued. 

“I will never forget the USA Today headline from 2015—the one that outlined how we were falling short in taking care of our veterans in Oklahoma. I’ve passed laws to change the policies that enabled the bad behavior; I’ve increased accountability at our facilities, including having outside auditors evaluate the facilities; but today is a big step. The president’s budget, after extensive conversations and input, recognizes Oklahoma’s commitment to our veterans. Accordingly, we’re growing our VA presence in eastern Oklahoma, showing that we want to continue to provide the highest quality of service for all of our veterans, especially those with specialized care needs.

Inhofe concluded: “Getting to this point took years of effort at the federal, state, city and community levels. Today is a true milestone for veterans care in Oklahoma—not just for today’s veterans, but for future generations.”

“We owe no greater debt than to the men and women who have put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms and President Trump’s budget clearly demonstrates his commitment to our veterans,” Mullin said. “Today is a step in the right direction to ensure our veterans get the quality, accessible health care they need. Building a new VA hospital in Tulsa and transforming the Muskogee VA into a specialty behavioral health facility will improve care for veterans across Eastern Oklahoma. I thank Senator Inhofe for his tireless leadership on this and I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure this funding is included in appropriations.”

“President Trump has consistently stood up for the respect and proper care of our veterans,” Hern said. “His budget proposal includes important funds for the new VA facility in Tulsa, helping to provide care to the veterans of Oklahoma’s First District with an accessible and top-of-the-line facility. The President’s commitment to supporting veterans’ health centers in the area is a win for Oklahoma and certainly a win for our veteran community. Senator Inhofe is to be applauded for his leadership on the Senate Armed Services Committee, as he has played a key role in the revitalization of our nation’s VA system. Now that the President’s budget proposal has been submitted to Congress, my work on the House Budget Committee can begin. We have a tough hill to climb, but I’m ready to dig in and do the hard work of getting a budget through Congress.”

“This announcement is a win for our veterans in Eastern Oklahoma and across our entire state,” Stitt said. “President Trump’s decision to prioritize significant funding for Oklahoma’s veteran health care system is a testament to the hard work, vision, and commitment of Senator Inhofe, who has served as a strong champion for our veterans as the chair of the US Armed Services Committee, and our entire Oklahoma delegation. This project is a true example of how we can leverage public-private partnerships in order to ensure we are providing our veterans with the quality care and support they deserve, and I look forward to working with our federal, state, local and community partners in order to see this across the finish line.”

“This is about building a healthcare system that will meet the needs of Veterans in Eastern Oklahoma now and for decades to come. We are truly thankful for the support and collaborative effort from our congressional and community stakeholders, including the offices of Senators Inhofe and Lankford; Representatives Mullin and Hern; Governor Stitt; Mayor Bynum; Oklahoma State University; The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation; and the Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System staff,”  Mark E. Morgan, FACHE, Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System, said. “While the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center will continue to be the light upon the hill in Muskogee, this exciting new addition, once completed, will allow us to expand needed behavioral health, rehabilitation, and potentially long-term care, for the Veterans of Eastern Oklahoma and across the state.”

 


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