Political Quotes

“a number of my colleagues--both Republican and Democratic--from the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee were on the floor just a few moments ago, and I wish to join them in expressing genuine concern about continued developments at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Many of us remember the tremendous circumstances our veterans found themselves in at hospitals across the country, with long waiting lines, with lists that were inappropriate and didn't really exist--I suppose in an effort to camouflage the delay veterans were experiencing across the country. At the same time, to demonstrate that veterans were being cared for, the VA wanted to show that things were fine, and yet we saw that was not the case. Unfortunately, those headlines continue about the Department of Veterans Affairs. For years, we have heard reports of long wait lines, privacy issues, and failure to remove employees whose actions endanger the health and safety of our veterans. Many of us have worked to try to give the leadership of the Department of Veterans Affairs greater authority to discipline and to discharge wrongdoers who are at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Generally, my focus has been on the upper echelon leadership of the Department of Veterans Affairs, generally considered to be the top 400 executives at the VA. I am always nervous about the issue of employees and staff who are actually providing care for our veterans in the hospital.…”