Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak on my second amendment to H.R. 1259, Kuster amendment No. 8. I am concerned that an unintended consequence of the bill before us would be retaliation against whistleblowers at the VA. After my 4 years on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and my time as ranking member of its Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, I know that whistleblower protections are a bipartisan issue for our committee, and I know that this Congress recognizes the incredible importance of whistleblowers at the VA. Whistleblowers provided many details that made Congress and the public aware of the Phoenix scandal. They provided valuable information in uncovering the Aurora construction debacle. Whistleblowers save lives and save taxpayer money. Unfortunately, whistleblowers are sometimes targeted for retaliation by their supervisors. My amendment seeks to address this. My amendment requires supervisors to detail their efforts to correct poor performance and misconduct, efforts that come before the procedures outlined by this bill. It requires supervisors to detail the efforts they have made to improve their work environment and ensure that employees of their team uphold the primary mission of the VA: to serve and to honor our Nation's veterans. The amendment will also improve training of supervisors to ensure they are equipped to be leaders that improve employee performance and the quality of care at the VA.…”