As House Votes for VA Accountability, Murphy Reacts to President's Comments on VA Scandal

Press Release

Congressman Tim Murphy (R-PA) released the following statement in reaction to the President's comments on the growing scandals at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today.

"I'm profoundly disappointed the White House has taken no action other than sending a political appointee out to Phoenix to work on yet another report telling veterans, Congress, and the public what we already know: VA officials who've presided over mismanagement and acted with negligence are more likely to receive bonuses and glowing performance reviews than any sort of punishment. For the Michael Moreland's in Pittsburgh and other top-level executives and managers who failed in their responsibility to care for our country's veterans, there needs to be immediate action and consequences. Any VA executive or staffer who "cooked the books' should be fired and face criminal charges. For the VA doctors who knowingly failed to provide life-saving care, they should be immediately removed from service and no longer be able to practice medicine."

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives will approve legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Murphy, to give the VA Secretary the flexibility to remove senior level managers and executives guilty of mismanagement and lax oversight that led to the preventable deaths of veterans under VA medical care. Said Murphy upon passage of the bill, "Since the President isn't doing anything of substance to fix the disgraceful mess at the VA, Congress is stepping in and sending a clear message: If you're not doing your job or if you're caught doing harm, you're out. This is the kind of accountability our veterans expect and deserve."

Murphy expressed frustration that VA Secretary Eric Shinseki has yet to announce any punishment or disciplinary action regarding the Legionnaires' Disease outbreak at the Pittsburgh VA that took the lives of six veterans. Murphy initiated both the congressional investigation and Inspector General review that revealed the outbreak was entirely preventable.

"In November 2013, I asked for specific details about disciplinary action taken against those individuals whose mismanagement and malfeasance led to the outbreak. Six months later, the families of the Legionnaires' victims and I still await word on who will be held accountable for the outbreak."

Background on the Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act of 2014 (H.R. 4031)

H.R. 4031 gives the Secretary of Veterans Affairs authority to remove an employee of the Senior Executive Service (SES) if the Secretary determines that the employee's performance warrants removal. The legislation applies to approximately 464 SES workers within the 300,000 employee Department of Veterans Affairs. The Secretary can remove the individual from federal service entirely, or transfer him to a General Schedule position within the civil service system. Within thirty days of removing the individual, the Secretary must notify the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the removal and the reason for it. H.R. 4031 provides that the employee's removal shall be done in the same manner as the removal of a professional staff member of a Member of Congress.

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