Political Quotes

“The amendment before us reflects the concerns that Congress has had over senior executives at the Department of Veterans Affairs receiving performance bonuses when VA hospital standards were not up to par and when we continue to see a backlog of disability claims. I share those concerns that VA truly does need to tackle. But recent actions taken by this Congress through the good work of the MilCon Appropriations Subcommittee and the Veterans Administration have, in fact, improved the operational efficiency of those hospitals and reduced the backlog. The VA has also instituted much greater transparency in the process of awarding bonuses for its Senior Executive Service. In fact, VA has centralized senior executive award decisions. They have added an additional level of review in consideration of those awards. And the VA has significantly reduced the value of those awards compared to prior years. Most importantly, the Secretary has already demonstrated his willingness to use the bonus system as a way to reward and penalize staff based on their performance. As it stands, the Secretary has all the authority he needs to use bonuses to influence performance. I think this amendment is something of a political ploy, Mr. Chairman. It is designed to misdirect our frustrations to the good men and women who have chosen to serve their government in the civilian workforce.…”