Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountablility Act of 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I will speak very briefly. Mainly, I come here on the floor to thank the Senator from Vermont and my good friend from North Carolina on the hard work they and members of the Veterans Affairs' Committee have done on this issue. I greatly respect my dear friend from Oklahoma and his concern. But I would have to say to my colleagues: If there was ever a definition of an emergency, that emergency faces us today because our veterans are not receiving the care we owe them as a nation.

There are veterans who are dying as we speak for lack of care. There is gross mismanagement. There
fix. I am proud that in this legislation there is choice, and there is the ability of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to fire people who are not doing their job.

Those are the important aspects, most important to me, because I think we can change the Veterans Administration. But the present situation cries out for immediate action. Obviously there were parts of this legislation that I did not agree with. Obviously there were parts that the Senator from Vermont did not agree with. But the hard work put together by the Senator from North Carolina and the Senator from Vermont--I am very proud to say we bring before you a way to put a final stamp on beginning to end. This is not the beginning of the end. This is the beginning of the beginning of our effort to help those men and women who have defended our Nation with honor and dignity. We owe them that.

I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the waiver of the Budget Act and to vote in favor of this legislation.

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