Tom Coburn: “I will be very quick. What our colleagues should know is, since 2009, the VA budget has increased 58.7 percent, a…”

“I will be very quick. What our colleagues should know is, since 2009, the VA budget has increased 58.7 percent, a 40-percent increase in the number of providers, with a 17-percent increase in the number of veterans using those providers. The problem is not money at the VA. The problem is management, accountability, and culture. So we are going to borrow $12 billion from our children and reward the poor behavior and charge it to our children. I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona. Mr. McCAIN. I would say in response to my dear friend from Oklahoma, I agree with every single thing that he has said. But we must embark on fixing this problem. The choice and the ability to give the Secretary of Veterans Affairs the authority to hire and fire people is important to me that I believe they deserve our support. I would also ask my friend from Oklahoma, can we leave here for 5 weeks and not address this issue? There are 50 veterans in my State that have probably died--at least allegations are such. Can we leave here and not act? If I had written this bill with only you and me, I would say to my friend from Oklahoma, it would probably be $10 billion less and all of it paid for. But we had to negotiate, not only with the other side of the aisle but with the other side of the Capitol. So this is not perfect legislation.…”