The Department of Veterans Affairs has formally ended a federal directive that would have required the agency to spend seventy seven million dollars installing electric vehicle charging stations at VA medical centers across the country. The mandate, established under the previous administration as part of a broader clean-energy transition strategy, never resulted in the construction of a single charging station. With the directive now rescinded, the VA has begun reallocating the unspent funds toward health care infrastructure projects it considers more urgent for the nation’s veterans.
The shift follows a review of construction priorities and a reassessment of capital needs across the VA health system. The agency determined that the funds tied to the electric vehicle initiative could be better used to address long-standing facility upgrades, clinical expansions and modernization efforts that had been awaiting financial support. The announcement marks a notable policy realignment as the VA places renewed emphasis on direct patient care and essential infrastructure over optional facility features.
The redirection of funding has already identified several projects that will move forward more quickly now that financing is available. A portion of the money is being used to renovate the Friendship House residence in Oklahoma City, a compensated work therapy facility that provides structured programs for veterans working toward stability and employment. Another share is headed to Rhode Island where the Providence VA Medical Center will expand and update its MRI ward, allowing the medical facility to increase imaging capacity and replace equipment approaching the end of its service life. Additional funds are earmarked to upgrade the radiation oncology department at the G V Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, improving treatment environments for veterans undergoing cancer care…