Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment to H.R. 1367. I thank my friend and colleague, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, for introducing this bill to make important reforms to the VA's hiring and retention systems. My amendment makes a small, but important, change to clarify a provision in the bill. As long as I have served on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, we have seen and heard that retaining high-quality candidates has been a real challenge. I can speak from experience on this. In the greater Los Angeles region, which serves my constituents, there has been significant turnover of senior leadership at all of our local facilities, including our community clinic in Oxnard. These changes and uncertainty have, in my view, been harmful to the quality of care that our veterans receive. That is why I am so pleased the bill directs the Comptroller General to review succession planning at VA medical facilities. Effective succession planning, understanding what positions are mission critical, ensuring better training, and closing the skills gap will help the VA become a healthier organization, and help ensure that the VA accomplishes its mission--serving our Nation's veterans. My amendment clarifies that a medical facility includes all VHA facilities, including medical centers, outpatient clinics, community- based outpatient clinics, and vet centers. We must ensure each local facility has a strong workforce and a succession plan for the future.…”