Tim Huelskamp: “I thank the chairman. I appreciate the opportunity to speak in support of our legislation. Mr. Chairman, we do know in…”

“I thank the chairman. I appreciate the opportunity to speak in support of our legislation. Mr. Chairman, we do know in the last year there has been a lot of talk about accountability at the VA. Unfortunately, though, there has not been enough action or change by the VA under this administration. This bill provides much-needed tools to ensure the VA Secretary has the authority and the responsibility to remove corrupt or incompetent employees. As a Member of Congress, I am simply tired of hearing stories about employees placed on indefinite administrative leave or getting early retirement with full benefits for offenses that should get them fired, if we really cared about the veterans. Ultimately, here is the purpose of this bill: ending the culture of nonaccountability at the VA. My bill, the Whistleblower Testimony Travel Act, is also included. It provides much-needed protections for courageous whistleblowers who testify before Congress about the shortfalls of this agency. It might be hard to believe, Mr. Chairman, but, currently, if a VA whistleblower is invited to testify before Congress, they are required to use their personal vacation time and personally cover all their own travel expenses. This bill would ensure that brave employees who report to Congress and the public on what is broken within the VA can do so on official time and be compensated by the VA for their travel costs. Ultimately, this legislation is about protecting our veterans.…”