On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., returned to the topic of reforming the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), introducing the “VA Accountability First Act."
This is not a new subject for Rubio who had been pushing for reforming the VA, often teaming with then U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., who chaired the House Veterans Affairs Committee, on the issue. With both Rubio and Miller leading the charge, Congress passed a reform measure in 2014 after reports emerged about veterans dying after being placed on altered waiting lists while seeking medical treatment from VA facilities, including those in the Phoenix, Arizona area. In the aftermath of these reports, few VA employees lost their jobs after the scandal broke though then-VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned his post under fire.
According to his office, Rubio’s new proposal “would provide improved protections for whistleblowers; empower the VA secretary to reduce an employee’s federal pension if they are convicted of a felony that influenced their job at VA; allow the VA secretary to recoup a bonus provided to an employee who engaged in misconduct or poor performance prior to receiving the bonus, or recoup any relocation expenses that were authorized for a VA employee only through the employee’s ill-gotten means, such as fraud, waste or malfeasance.”
“For far too long, incompetent and uncaring employees at the VA have been allowed to fail at their jobs but still keep them,” Rubio said on Thursday. “In the past, we’ve passed measures to institute accountability but lacked a president and VA secretary who would actually implement them and fire VA employees who are failing our veterans. Now it’s time to finally provide our veterans with the quality, efficient health care they have earned and deserve, instead of protecting the big labor unions seeking to keep the status quo of incompetence and malfeasance.
“The VA Accountability First Act will give the VA secretary increased flexibility to remove, demote, or suspend VA employees who fail to take care of our veterans,” Rubio added. “I am pleased President Trump has made this issue a priority, and I look forward to working with Secretary Shulkin to hold VA employees at all levels accountable for their performance and ensure our veterans are no longer ignored or mistreated.”
The measure is being sponsored in the U.S. House by U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., who took over as chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee after Miller retired and did not run again last year.
“I’ve said time and time again that the vast majority of VA employees are hardworking and have the best interests of our veterans at heart, but there are still too many bad apples within the department,” said Roe. “Our veterans deserve better, and the VA employees who fulfill their duties deserve better. I thank Senator Rubio for partnering with me to introduce this important legislation, and I look forward to working with him to get this bill to President Trump’s desk.”
