Republican presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., turned to veterans issues this week, drawing fire from the left as he pushed to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs.
On Wednesday, Rubio showcased his support for the “VA Accountability Act of 2015.” U.S Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the chairman of the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee, introduced the bill back in April and Rubio joined on as the Senate sponsor.
The legislation gives the VA secretary more authority to fire employees while still giving the employee the right to appeal with the Merit Systems Protection Board. The bill also gives some protection to whistle-blowers and extends the probationary period for new employees from a year to 18 months. Under the proposal, the Government Accountability Office would look at how much VA resources, including space, are used for labor union activities.
Veterans groups, including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and Concerned Veterans for America, lined up behind the bill back in April.
With both Rubio and Miller leading the charge, Congress passed a reform measure last year when reports emerged about veterans dying after being placed on altered waiting lists while seeking medical treatment from VA facilities.
Speaking before the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee, Rubio urged the passage of the bill.
“Last year, I was proud to lead the effort to give the VA secretary the authority to fire senior executives based on performance,” Rubio said on Wednesday. “A year later, it’s clear additional authorities are needed to deal with the full scope of the problems at the VA. Once enacted into law, this new legislation will leave the VA secretary with no excuse but to hold people accountable for the dysfunction and incompetence plaguing our VA system, while protecting whistle-blowers from retaliation. We must show our veterans the respect they have earned by removing any employees with terrible performance from the system our veterans rely on.”
On Thursday, Rubio will continue his outreach on veterans issues at a town hall event in New Hampshire, home of the first presidential primary, sponsored by Concerned Veterans for America. Liberal group Correct the Record (CTR) came out swinging at Rubio and other Republican presidential hopefuls on Thursday morning.
“Today, Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio will be headlining a veterans and military town hall in Exeter, New Hampshire, for the Concerned Veterans for America, a right-wing group backed by the Koch brothers,” CTR noted in a memo sent to the media. “Rubio’s record on veterans issues is of great concern for our nation’s servicemen and women, so he’s lucky he is in friendly territory – addressing a group directly affiliated to the Koch brothers, whose funding he is courting.
“Rubio is one of many Republican presidential hopefuls, including Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, and Rand Paul, who have a poor record of service to our veterans -– denying them access to education, health care and other benefits,” CTR added. “While the GOP has consistently failed to serve America’s servicemen and women, Hillary Clinton has fought tirelessly to ensure that veterans and their families are guaranteed the benefits that they deserve.”
CTR pointed to Rubio’s record, including votes giving more free-market options to veterans in the VA system, on proprietary higher education institutions and on benefits involving same-sex marriage.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
