Thursday June 12, 2014
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House Addresses VA Mismanagement; Foxx to Hold Veterans Information Session
 
Frustration.  Anger.  Outrage.  These are just a few words that describe how I feel when I hear about our veterans being mistreated, forgotten, and ignored by career bureaucrats at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  It is simply awful that as many as 40 veterans may have died waiting for appointments in Arizona, it’s staggering to consider that the mismanagement in Phoenix is part of a larger, VA-wide pattern of mismanagement.  As one of the strongest supporters of veterans in Congress, with four veterans employed full-time on my Congressional staff, enough is enough.

Our veterans fought battles on foreign soil to protect us here at home. Those who make it back should never have to worry that they might face a bureaucracy more lethal than enemy fire.

The VA’s budget has increased 256% over the last decade, rising from $52.4 billion in FY2002 to $134.1 billion in FY 2013.  The House of Representatives recently passed, H.R. 4486, the 2015 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill which again increased funding for veterans programs by $1.5 billion and provided a total of $158.2 billion in total spending for veterans.  I voted in favor of this bill when it passed the House by a vote of 416 to 1 on April 30 and is now awaiting consideration in the Senate.  However, the root of this problem isn’t a lack of funds, it is gross mismanagement.  

In an effort also to address the mismanagement, I cosponsored H.R. 4031, the Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act.  This legislation would provide for the removal of Senior Executive Service employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs based on poor performance.  I was pleased to vote in favor of this bill when it passed the House on May 21 by a vote of 390 to 33.  This bill is also awaiting consideration in the Senate but it is just a start.  There is much more to be done.

Please know it is always an honor to assist our veterans in any way possible, which is why supporting and serving our veterans will continue to be one of my top priorities as I represent you in Congress.  If you ever need assistance with a federal matter, please call my office toll free at 866-677-8968 or send me an email through my website at virginiafoxx.house.gov/contact with a detailed description of your situation and concerns.  

Additionally, I invite you to a Veterans Information Session in my Clemmons office on August 22 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. This event will bring together representatives from the VA and many other veterans service organizations.  Please contact my Clemmons office for details or feel free to come on by.  If you are a veteran, thank you for your service.  If you know a veteran, please thank the veteran for his/her service and convey my thanks as well.  

Sincerely,
                                           
 
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