A Republican congressman from Florida has taken to the national stage this week to chastise former U.S. Sec. of State Hillary Clinton, the favorite for the Democratic presidential nomination, over her comments about the problems at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Reports emerged last year that 50 veterans who had been put on altered waiting lists died as they awaited medical treatment from a VA medical facility in Phoenix. Additional reports emerged about widespread customer service and patient care problems around the nation leading to VA Sec. Eric Shinseki resigning under pressure.
Clinton waded into the issue on Friday when she appeared on Rachel Madow’s show on MSNBC and insisted VA’s problems have "not been as widespread as it has been made out to be."
Veterans groups and the GOP quickly called Clinton out on these comments and her team was trying to spin her remarks this week. Brian Fallon, a spokesman for CNN, insisted his boss took the VA’s problems seriously and that she would bring out her plan to reform it next month.
"Even now, too many of our veterans are still waiting an unacceptably long time to see a doctor, or to process disability claims and appeals," Fallon told CNN, promising Clinton "will work to further reform the VA to make sure it truly works for our veterans, and will demand accountability and performance from VA leadership."
"(Hillary Clinton) will work to further reform the VA to make sure it truly works for our veterans, and will demand accountability and performance from VA leadership," Fallon insisted.
From his perch as chairman of the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee, U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., made the case this week that the VA’s problems were far more serious than Clinton made them out to be.
While he did not call out Clinton by name on Monday, Miller laid out the problems the VA was facing.
“Whether it’s continued delays in veterans’ medical care, the blatant waste of billions of taxpayer dollars or a rampant lack of accountability throughout every corner of the organization, there is simply no denying that the problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs are indeed widespread,” Miller said on Monday. “Anyone who would claim the opposite simply isn’t paying attention. The VA scandal was caused by dishonest bureaucrats who chose to whitewash the department’s problems rather than solve them. Those who repeat that same shameful pattern of behavior are only shortchanging veterans while giving failed VA bureaucrats cover for continued malfeasance. The only way to reform VA into an organization truly worthy of the veterans it is charged with serving is to acknowledge the department’s challenges and tackle them head on. Downplaying VA’s problems or denying they exist will only lead to more scandal.”
Miller joined former presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on Wednesday in a call organized by the Republican National Committee (RNC), in which he continued to go after Clinton’s comments. This time, Miller was far more critical of Clinton.
“With her comments last week, Hillary Clinton proved she has no idea what she’s talking about when it comes to veterans issues,’ Miller said before noting the various problems at VA including no VA officials based in Phoenix losing their jobs. “VA’s problems still aren’t fixed....the corruption and waste in the department continue.”
“Hillary Clinton did not use the word veteran a single time during the first debate,” Miller insisted, calling on her to be more active on the matter and noting she did not speak out as reports emerged about the problems in Phoenix.
“Hillary Clinton has become a denier of problems at the VA and that’s not appropriate,” Miller said.
McCain, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, insisted the GOP was not making this a partisan issue and praised Miller’s record.
“I know Chairman Miller works across the aisle,” McCain said. “I appreciate the leadership of Chairman Jeff Miller.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
