Vern Buchanan: Congress Needs to Take Action on VA

Pointing to recent problems in a VA hospital in Phoenix where a fake waiting list led to the deaths of 40 veterans, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., called for Congress to pass a bill giving the VA secretary more flexibility to demote senior officials in the department.

Its a national disgrace if any veteran who served their country died from negligence, said Buchanan on Wednesday. Those responsible for these atrocious acts must be terminated immediately and a congressional investigation should leave no stone unturned in finding out how this happened and how it can be prevented in the future. Its also essential that Congress enact sweeping reforms to address the VAs systematic lack of accountability and oversight.