Norton Gets Language Barring Walter Reed Closing in Iraq Supplemental (5/30/07)

Norton Gets Language Barring Walter Reed Closing in Iraq Supplemental
May 30, 2007

Washington, DC- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said that language in the Iraq War Supplemental bill that Congress approved just before recess captures the essence of her bill barring efforts to close the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in the midst of a war and will bring immediate relief to the hospital complex. The fastest way to prevent the closing was language in an appropriations bill and the Iraq War Supplemental was the first available legislation. Since appropriations bills must be framed in terms of money, the bill prohibits spending any funds to close WRAMC until equivalent facilities at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center and/or the Fort Belvoir, Virginia community hospital have been constructed and equipped. Norton said, "This language accomplishes the purpose I sought to prevent the closing of WRAMC in the middle of a war or anytime in the near future. The administration has not asked and Congress would never divert $3 billion needed to build a hospital from services for wounded soldiers and veterans, in war time, particularly after the WRMAC revelations concerning outpatient care and the outcry that resulted from throughout the country about veteran's care. The huge patient load today at Walter Reed together with many more soldiers expected from the surge military effort mean WRAMC is here to stay for many years to come." The provision also requires that Walter Reed be adequately funded, to include maintenance of existing facilities, during the maximum level of patient care only after transition of a new hospital is built. Importantly, this bill also appropriates $20 million for renovations and upgrades at WRAMC.

The hospital has been suffering from problems resulting from staff turnover, because of uncertainty over the possible shutdown and move to Bethesda, as recommended by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC), and the outsourcing of contracts. Norton was prompted to file her bill after visiting the base in February and then asking Army officials at a House hearing whether substandard outpatient care and maintenance at WRAMC would be traced to difficulty in hiring and retaining staff because of the planned closing. All the generals agreed that the pending closure had contributed.

The Congresswoman has long questioned the wisdom of closing the nation's best and most vital military hospital in the middle of a shooting war and the war on terrorism. However, since the BRAC recommendation, Norton had doubted that the administration or Congress would come forward with the required funds to construct the proposed new Walter Reed in Bethesda in the foreseeable future, considering the cost of the hospital, the huge deficit, and the war.

"It's not enough that we paused on Memorial Day this year to honor fallen members of the military, those still serving, and veterans," Norton said. "Our actions must continually show that we intend the best health care and facilities, now Congress in the Iraq War Supplemental WRAMC language is placing priorities where they belong, on funds for wounded military personnel and for veterans."