Arlington, VA — Tomorrow the Senate will vote on the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017, bipartisan legislation that would shorten the process for firing bad employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) has been engaged in a nationwide grassroots effort — including web ads, phone calls, emails, and local events — to garner support of this bill for months. CVA has fought for general VA accountability since the group’s inception.
CVA Policy Director Dan Caldwell issued the following statement:
“The regular stories of misconduct, negligence and abuse at the Department of Veterans Affairs will not end until Secretary Shulkin is empowered to quickly terminate bad employees. This is the best opportunity in years for Congress to pass meaningful VA reform and help millions of veterans in the process. We urge members on both sides of the aisle to show their support for veterans with their vote tomorrow. President Trump is ready to sign this measure into law as soon as possible.”
The bill, S. 1094, passed the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC) last month with bipartisan support, and a similar version of this bill, the VA Accountability First Act, passed the House with bipartisan support earlier this year.
Secretary Shulkin has repeatedly stated the need for Congress to pass the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 so that he can have the authority to get bad VA employees out quickly.
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