Frustrated and perplexed by continuing problems at a $300-million veterans hospital project in Orlando, Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) told officials with the Dept. of Veterans Affairs and contractor Brasfield & Gorrie, "I want answers," as he convened a U.S. House field hearing across the street from the troubled job site on Aug. 13.
Instead, the nearly three-hour hearing of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs produced even more questions about the project and who would finish it. Throughout the hearing, for instance, VA officials refused to comment about a pending possible termination of the general contractor on the project, Brasfield & Gorrie. Meanwhile, the contractor’s CEO spent much of his testimony pointing fingers at the VA over continuing delays caused by design changes.