Sen. Banks says Roudebush VA Medical Center replacement study still on track

By GARRETT BERGQUIST
WISH-TV | wishtv.com

Banks

U.S. Sen. Jim Banks on Wednesday said proposed cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs are necessary to prevent waste that he says interferes with veterans’ services.

Banks’ remarks followed an afternoon meeting with leadership at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center downtown. He said the facility’s director told him about 20 employees had taken voluntary retirements but further departures are not expected. Banks said contrary to reports earlier this spring, a feasibility study for a replacement facility is still ongoing and VA officials now expect it to be completed ahead of schedule.

“This hospital is old. Much of the facility is outdated, and we’re serving a lot of veterans here,” the Republican said. “We have to replace it. We have to build something new, but, in spite of that, the incredible care that happens here at this hospital is top-notch.”

An internal memo obtained by The Associated Press in early March showed the VA plans to cut more than 80,000 jobs. The memo directed agency officials to work with the Department of Government Efficiency on the cuts. This would shrink the VA to its 2019 level of roughly 400,000 employees. That predates the expansion of services under the 2022 PACT (Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics) Act, which makes veterans exposed to toxic substances such as Agent Orange eligible for care.

Banks said those cuts would target wasteful and unnecessary bureaucracy and would not affect services the VA provides. He said he did not see anything on his tour that indicated any waste was happening at the Roudebush facility.

“If we cut wasteful spending and bureaucracy, those are dollars and care that can go directly to veterans, and I am convinced that we have bloated bureaucracy in all of the federal government, including at the VA,” Banks said.

U.S. Rep. André Carson, a Democrat whose district includes the Roudebush facility, has said he’s deeply concerned by proposed cuts to federal facilities in Indianapolis. He released a statement in early March when reports first surfaced of potential cuts at Roudebush, though he did not have any updated comment on Wednesday:

“DOGE’s website is deceptively sparce [sic] on details, but big on numbers that don’t add up. It provides no substantive cost-benefit analysis or mission-driven justification for these terrible actions … Our veterans and our seniors deserve better.”

This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/politics/va-cuts-veterans.