Washington – Congressman Jerry McNerney (CA-09) issued the following statement applauding the House passage of the FY16 omnibus spending bill that includes the funding needed to construct the French Camp Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC):
“The omnibus spending bill my colleagues and I passed in the House is a necessary compromise that will fund the government for the next year. While the bill reflects some tough choices, it also provides funding for critical programs that support job creation, health care for families and children, investments in renewable energy production, environmental protection, small business loans, and VA construction.
“The omnibus is a tremendous victory for thousands of our veterans who will have better access to health care because it includes funding to build the long-overdue Community Based Outpatient Clinic in French Camp, California. Veterans across my district and throughout the San Joaquin and Central Valleys have waited more than a decade for this clinic so they can gain access to state-of-the-art medical care and services that they deserve.
“Many veterans have difficultly accessing the health care benefits they’ve earned serving our country due to a lack in quality clinics and services in their region. This places an unnecessary and unfair burden on veterans who have to travel significant distances for simple medical appointments and check-ups. I have worked in a bipartisan manner for years to get funding for the French Camp clinic, a project that has been ‘construction ready’ for some time. This facility will serve nearly 87,000 veterans, and I am glad to finally see Congress commit the proper resources so this project can break ground in the near future.”
The FY16 omnibus appropriations package provides $1.24 billion for major VA construction projects. These funds are sufficient to fund the VA’s top FY16 major construction projects, including the long-overdue project at French Camp.
The French Camp CBOC will serve 87,000 veterans across a wide geographic area that includes San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Amador Counties, among others.
Rep. McNerney has been a strong advocate for securing the authorization and funding for the French Camp clinic, repeatedly calling for the financial resources to complete the project.
