Veterans Groups Urge Immediate Passage Of Rubio VA Reform Legislation

Ten Senate Democrats now back bill.

Concerned Veterans for America’s Darin Selnick: “Members of Congress who have asserted more oversight of the flailing department should continue to demand change. A good place to start would be with demanding an up-or-down vote on Senator Marco Rubio’s VA Management Accountability Act in the Senate.” (Darin Selnick, “After Shinseki’s misrule, VA needs accountability: Column,” USA Today, 5/30/2014)

  • Selnick: “This bill, which already passed the House of Representatives by a large bipartisan majority, would empower the next VA secretary to remove and replace executives who fail to perform. It’s a critical and common sense reform that would go a long way toward starting the VA on the road to repair.” (Darin Selnick, “After Shinseki’s misrule, VA needs accountability: Column,” USA Today, 5/30/2014)

Concerned Veterans for America’s Pete Hegseth: “[V]eterans, their families and taxpayers who care about government accountability should take up the cause and contact Harry Reid and Bernie Sanders. Demand that the Senate give the VA Management Accountability Act (sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio) and up-or-down vote. Demand that senators go on record as either being for the bureaucrats or for our veterans.” (Pete Hegseth, “Vets died. VA lied. Heads must roll. Congress must act,” FoxNews.com, 5/29/2014)

  • Hegseth: “Let’s not allow Senator Sanders, Senator Reid and the Obama administration to get away with burying this scandal. It’s time to send a clear message: veterans are the ones who are ‘mad as hell’ and we will accept nothing less than action.” (Pete Hegseth, “Vets died. VA lied. Heads must roll. Congress must act,” FoxNews.com, 5/29/2014)

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America: “The Senate must act now to pass the VA Management Accountability Act. The bill (endorsed by Secretary Shinseki in his final public remarks) gives the Secretary of the VA the authority to remove under-performing Senior Executive Service employees from their jobs. Without the ability to fire poor-performing managers, the next VA Secretary will struggle to restore a culture of accountability throughout the VA.” (“IAVA’s 8 Steps to Restore Confidence in the VA,” Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Blog, 6/2/2014)

Fleet Reserve Association: “The House has recently passed the ‘Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act’ (H.R. 4031), that authorizes the VA Secretary to remove any agency senior executive if the individual’s performance warrants removal. … Members are urged to use the Action Center to ask their senators to support this legislation.” (“FRA Outraged by VA Improprieties,” Fleet Reserve Association, 5/30/2014)