Rep. Loudermilk Votes for Reforms at the Department of Veterans Affairs
Washington,
July 29, 2015
Rep. Loudermilk (R-GA) released the following statement today after voting for the VA Accountability Act (H.R. 1994), legislation that aims to curb wasteful government spending and allows the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to remove employees who are not providing U.S. veterans with the highest standard of care:
“In just seven months of serving the veterans of the 11th District, my office has opened and assisted-in far too many cases for the men and women who signed up to put their lives on the line for us, but are now having to fight to receive the care they were promised. The continued gross mismanagement by the VA, and other government agencies, has revealed a systemic issue within the federal government as a whole – unrestrained, centralized power, with little to no accountability. “The VA Accountability Act is a positive step toward restoring public trust and ensuring our veterans are first in line to receive the quality health care they deserve. As a result of this legislation, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs will now have the authority to dismiss ‘bad actors’ or those who aren’t performing in the best interests of our veterans. This will help rein-in employee misconduct, curb government waste, and enact stronger safeguards against agency-wide corruption. “Our veterans should not be bumped to the back of the line for services they were promised and most definitely earned. This legislation not only sends a strong message to the VA that corruption at the highest levels must end, but it allows whistleblowers to sound the alarm without fear of agency retaliation.” |