SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones joined KSAT’s 6 O’Clock News on Tuesday to discuss topics ranging from a new veterans medical center to her recent trade trips to Taiwan and Washington, D.C.
President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2027 includes $30 million for land acquisition for the site of a new veterans medical center in San Antonio.
The potential acquisition is described as “a necessary first step to address the growing veteran population in that area (San Antonio)” in the proposed budget.
Jones and Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs expressing support for a new Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center.
“Our community has the fastest-growing veteran population in the country,” Jones said. “We have the fastest-growing female veteran population in the country, and we have a veteran population that is younger than most.”
The mayor highlighted the need for expanded capacity for veteran health care. She said the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital only has 27 emergency beds, which she said, “ain’t going to cut it.”
“That facility is old,” Jones said. “Whether you’re there for an emergency or whether you’re there for an OB-GYN appointment, we need more capacity.”
Jones also shared that her recent trips to Taiwan and Washington, D.C., were both aimed at bringing investment and jobs to San Antonio.
Watch the full interview in the video player above.
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