Political Quotes

“I will make it quick, Mr. Chairman. I rise in support of this amendment. Just last year, the House voted unanimously to strip out funding for bonuses to Senior Executive Service employees at the VA because we were appalled by the heinous treatment of our veterans. And even though I opposed the legislation, later, both Chambers voted to reinstate many of these bonuses. Some of these executives are the very people who contributed to the plight of our VA hospitals. We can't allow this negligent behavior to continue to impact the care of those who sacrificed so much on behalf of our Nation's security. In fact, no award should be reinstated until significant improvements are made toward transparency. I want to make this point. In my home State of Arkansas, $8 million of Federal funds were used to build solar panels in a VA parking lot. But those panels have sat unplugged and inoperable for years, and now some of the panels are being torn down in order to make room for a parking garage that they knew in advance was coming, and yet they spent that money recklessly on another project. This is exactly the type of poor planning and behavior that shouldn't be rewarded, even though it has been. This amendment makes sure that no Federal funds in the MILCON-VA Appropriations Act are used to pay performance awards to VA senior officials. I encourage its passage. The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.”