Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight legislation I recently introduced, the VA GORDIAN KNOT Act, which would help improve and reform the Department of Veterans Affairs. In Greek mythology, the Gordian knot represents a complex problem that needs out-of-the-box thinking to solve, and that is exactly what we need. The VA's Gordian knot is its repeated manipulation of key data and overall lack of accountability. The VA has been known to yield less- than-truthful information when it comes to collecting and reporting data about patient care, appointment wait times, and employee hiring and firing practices. This behavior is an erosion of public trust and a disservice to our Nation's veterans, our true heroes. It also makes it difficult to properly address the VA's shortcomings and enhance its successes because there are successes as well. The VA GORDIAN KNOT Act requires the VA to standardize its data collecting and reporting mechanisms and increases oversight of the integrity and accuracy of the information. I believe this bill is absolutely necessary to reform the VA and assist in its mission to care for our true American heroes. ____________________”