Dear Friend, 

Thank you for taking a couple of minutes to read my weekly email update. This week the House passed legislation that addresses federal regulatory overreach and brings more accountability to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA). 

Regulatory Overreach

​One of the primary concerns I hear back home is that rules and regulations from Washington are killing jobs and slowing economic growth. I supported the Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act because Congress, not unelected bureaucrats at the EPA or IRS, should approve new, major regulations. The REINS Act restores congressional accountability and transparency in the regulatory process and prevents the Obama Administration from legislating with a pen and phone. 

Veterans

​Last year the conscience of our country was shaken when whistleblowers at the VA exposed secret wait lists, created to deceive wait times for care and even covered up deaths as a result. In response, the 113th Congress passed and the president signed the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act (VACAA). While targeted reforms were made because of the VACAA, there is still evidence and instances of mismanagement and misconduct by VA employees. 

Since the biggest scandal in VA history, only three employees have been fired for wait time manipulation because of a difficult and lengthy process currently in place. This is unacceptable. That is why I voted for the VA Accountability Act which provides the Secretary of the VA the flexibility to remove any VA employee based on performance or misconduct. The bill also provides greater protections for whistleblowers who are often scared to report issues because of fear of retaliation.

This is not to say that all VA employees are bad actors, but substandard VA care is not acceptable. If you fail to do your job, you should be held accountable for that failure. That’s the way it works in the private sector, and that’s how it should work at the VA.