The head of the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs today called on Congress to stay in session until a budget is passed.

Secretary Bob McDonald spoke with reporters after an event highlighting an end to chronic veteran homelessness in Central Florida. McDonald said the U.S. House is proposing a $1.5 billion dollar cut to the president’s proposed budget for the VA.

“Some of that cut was in construction, and 60 percent of our buildings are over 50 years old,” McDonald said. “You have a great new hospital here in Lake Nona, but that’s unique relative to what we have around the country.”

McDonald said he’s also proposed 100 pieces of legislation needed to streamline the VA. That includes reforms to how the VA contracts with small businesses, and reforms to to disability appeals.

The 2017 federal fiscal year starts in about a week.

WMFE is a partner with Health News Florida, a statewide collaborative reporting on health care.

Health reporting on WMFE is supported in part by AdventHealth.