Mark Takano: “I continue to oppose the underlying bill and support my amendment. I would assert that my amendment would apply to many…”

“I continue to oppose the underlying bill and support my amendment. I would assert that my amendment would apply to many of the employees in the scandals who were cited by our esteemed chairman. I want to remind the body that several Republican speakers this afternoon repeated a phrase that the vast majority of employees at the VA are doing a good job. My amendment really does address those few employees who really do pose a threat to veterans' safety or health. I would also say that I want to remind also the chairman and inform the body that we heard testimony from the bipartisan Commission on Care established through the Choice Act. They were charged with the responsibility of reviewing VA health care. One of the co-chairs was appointed by a Republican--I believe the Senate majority leader--and the other by the White House. They both reported back that we cannot create excellence at the VA through enhancing the firing process. They were astounded that more effort and resources have not been invested in the personnel function of the VA to better train our managers in progressive discipline and to do the kind of documentation that really will bring about effective accountability. By the way, both of these co-chairs led, and do still, large, private sector healthcare organizations. They pushed back on a suggestion that we needed to enhance our dismissal process, our accountability process.…”