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In October 2000, Congress authorized the construction of the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial (Public Law 106-348) in Washington, D.C. to honor the millions of veterans who became disabled while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. The law also authorized the Disabled Veterans LIFE Memorial Foundation to raise private funds to construct the Memorial. As of today, the Foundation has raised sufficient funds to construct the Memorial and has received all of the design approvals required to begin construction. However, the District of Columbia must first make changes and improvements to streets around the site, some related to concerns about the security of nearby Congressional office buildings.
In 2007, Congress appropriated $980,000 for this street infrastructure work (Public Law 110-161) and in March 2009, Congress appropriated an additional $2.85 million (Public Law 111-6). In total, Congress has provided the District with approximately $4 million out of the estimated $10 million that will be required for this street work, leaving a federal funding shortfall of about $6 million. However, until that funding is provided to the District, the Foundation is prevented from beginning construction of the Memorial.
Despite widespread, bipartisan support in Congress for the Memorial, two years have passed since the last federal funding was provided. And even though the funding already provided is enough to complete the first phase of the street work, due to endless bureaucratic red tape, the District of Columbia has yet to begin this work. Every day the street work is delayed is another day that the Memorial is delayed. Further delays are also likely to increase the cost of constructing the Memorial beyond what the Foundation has raised, which could push back or even threaten the actual construction of the Memorial. As such, it is imperative that Congress complete the federal funding required for the street infrastructure work as soon as possible, get the District to start and finish the necessary street work, and allow the Foundation to begin building this long overdue Memorial to America's disabled veterans.
Please urge your elected officials to get personally involved in helping to eliminate this small federal funding gap needed to allow the construction of the American Disabled Veterans for Life Memorial to begin. |