LAS VEGAS (AP) — Veterans in Pahrump, Nevada are getting a long-sought larger outpatient clinic now that a federal construction contract has been awarded a year after a plan was approved.

The news quickly turned political Wednesday when Nevada's freshman Republican Congressman Cresent Hardy took credit saying in a statement that longtime Democratic Sen. Harry Reid and the Democratic representative unseated by Hardy couldn't cut through "red tape" to make it happen.

Reid's statement didn't take personal credit but cites years of work. Reid's spokeswoman Kristen Orthman says his involvement spans 11 years.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Southern Nevada Healthcare System announced its contract Wednesday with W&J Development LLC worth $12.1 million to build the nearly 10,000-square-foot clinic at Basin Avenue and Lola Lane.

Construction is expected to take 18 months.