April 30 Event Marks Culmination of CVA’s 2015 “Vets on the Hill” Initiative
Arlington, Va. – House Veterans’ Affairs Committee (HVAC) Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) and Pete Hegseth, CEO of Concerned Veterans for America (CVA), today participated in a joint press conference along with other national veterans organizations to demonstrate congressional and grassroots veteran support for the VA Accountability Act (H.R. 1994, S. 1082).
Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), and representatives from the American Legion, AMVETS, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America also delivered remarks.
The VA Accountability Act would empower VA Secretary McDonald to fire VA employees at any level for misconduct or poor performance and also protect whistleblowers.
Click here to watch the press conference.
HVAC Chairman Jeff Miller described the VA’s accountability record as “nonexistent.” He said:
“VA’s accountability problem is so bad that rather than disciplining bad employees, what VA does is transfer them to other places within the VA system – or puts them on paid leave for months on end, ensuring taxpayer money is wasted and that bad employees have an opportunity to spread their problems all across the country.”
Pete Hegeth, CEO of CVA, said:
“We are entering a new era of choice, accountability and reform that is coming to the VA, and coming for veterans. Leaders can either stand in the front and lead that effort, or they can be dragged along – but veterans will no longer tolerate the status quo at the VA, and that’s what organizations like CVA are fighting for.”
Rep. Kyrsten Sinema noted:
“Secretary McDonald has pledged to change the culture at the VA – putting veterans first. This legislation gives him greater tools to accomplish the mission of the VA.”
The press conference was the capstone event of CVA’s two-day “Vets on the Hill” initiative, during which 150 CVA volunteers and supporters blanketed Capitol Hill, conducting 300+ meetings with senators’ and representatives’ offices to discuss the organization’s 2015 legislative agenda.
The meetings included substantial discussions on veterans’ health care reform, the VA Accountability Act, portions of the National Defense Authorization Act, and CVA’s Veterans Independence Act policy proposal.
To schedule a TV interview with Pete Hegseth, CEO of CVA, or other CVA experts, please email booking@guestbooker.com.
For other media inquiries, contact Emily Laird at 571.302.0973 or email elaird@cv4a.org.
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Concerned Veterans for America is a non-partisan, non-profit, 501(c)(4) organization that advocates for policies that will preserve the freedom and liberty we and our families so proudly fought and sacrificed to defend.