US Senate passes construction deal on Aurora VA hospital

The U.S. Senate passed a stop-gap funding bill Friday to prevent a construction shutdown on the VA hospital project in Aurora. On Thursday, it passed the U.S. House. 

• May 21: Congress reaches short-term construction deal on Aurora VA hospital 
• More on the Aurora VA hospital construction

The bill gives Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs more time to craft a long-term deal for funding the over-budget project.

Colorado Senator Michael Bennet said a shutdown would have been the “worst outcome,” adding hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost of construction.

The project is a billion dollars over initial estimates, and years behind the original schedule.