Congressmen express support for Veteran Affairs bill

Last week, the President signed a bill that enables the Department of Veteran Affairs to more easily fire problem employees, and the move drew praise from two of Rowan County’s members of Congress.

On Friday, President Donald Trump signed the “VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act.” As its name suggests, the measure provides protections for whistleblowers and gives greater authority to the VA secretary to remove, demote or suspend any employee for poor performance or misconduct.

Tillis, who co-sponsored the measure in the Senate, said the bill gives the VA “long-overdue authority to remove bad actors.”

“While the majority of employees at the VA are hardworking individuals who are committed to providing the best healthcare possible for our veterans, it is unacceptable the VA has to comb through layers of red-tape to remove poor-performing employees,” he said. “Now that this legislation has been signed into law, I look forward to the VA having the tools it needs to have the right personnel in place.

Meanwhile, Rep. Richard Hudson, R-8, also expressed support for the bill signing.

“The problems at the VA aren’t from one bad actor or a lack of taxpayer dollars — it’s a rotten culture of unaccountability that puts bureaucrats ahead of veterans,” Hudson said. “Our veterans deserve real solutions to break the back of this bureaucracy, and today’s law is a significant step in that direction.”