Newsletter: e-News 7/24/15
Statement
The Ongoing VA Scandal: Fact or Fiction?
The President of the United States addressed the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Pittsburgh this week. Unfortunately, it was another opportunity lost. Instead of outlining a comprehensive plan to fix the Veterans Administration's fundamental healthcare problems, he chose to trot out the same hollow platitudes that our veterans have heard before:
"We've made real progress."
"When problems arise, we work to fix them."
"Whenever there are any missteps, there are no excuses."
"We are focused on this at the highest levels."
These statements seem to be contradicted by the facts:
1. Waiting lists are even longer now than they were during last year's waiting list scandal. Last year, Congress approved $16 billion in emergency funding to improve care, but the number of veterans waiting one month or more for care has actually jumped by 50 percent!
2. Only two lower level employees were successfully fired for the wait time manipulation at the heart of last year's VA scandal. Last year, Congress gave the VA Secretary new authority to fire senior officials, but the agency has only been able to fire TWO employees for actions at the heart of a scandal that affected some 110,000 veterans.
3. Many veterans have already died while waiting for care, but the VA can't tell you exactly how many. The VA's records show that about one out of every three veterans waiting for care has likely already died. That's about 238,000 veterans.
4. Meanwhile, deceased patients were still being taken care of for years by the VA. According to an internal VA report, the records of one out of every 10 veterans were still listed as active after they died. That means they were still getting checks, regular appointments, and in one case, "a miscommunication allowed 76 prescriptions to be filled at one pharmacy for controlled substances."
5. The president has left the VA without a permanent inspector general for more than 18 months. At a time when the VA needs the most possible oversight, the president has failed to nominate a permanent independent watchdog for the agency.
During the Obama administration, most of which has occurred with a Republican majority in the House, the VA has enjoyed a larger budget increase by percentage than any other Cabinet department. As I said above, at this time last year, Congress passed $16 billion in emergency funding to improve care. And in April, the House passed a $4.6 billion increase in spending for the VA.
So it is clear that the VA's problem is not about funding. The problem has been the lack of accountability and a culture that cannot define and will not commit to solving the problems at all.
Next week, the House will take up the VA Accountability Act, (H.R. 1994) that gives the VA Secretary the authority to fire any employee for misconduct. But only the president can truly change the culture at the VA. That's the speech he should have given to the VFW this week.
Learn more about H.R. 1994 here.
21 Reasons Why the Iran Nuclear Agreement Does Not Deserve Support
The House and Senate have begun their formal review of the details of the President's Iran Nuclear Agreement AND the context in which it would be implemented.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has put together a list worth reading:
1. Though the deal was originally being negotiated to keep Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, in its final form the agreement would allow just that when it sunsets in 10-15 years.
2. This deal will accelerate regional nuclear proliferation. Saudi leaders for instance have said that this deal is worse than the nuclear pact former President Bill Clinton made with North Korea.
3. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this deal will give Iran "hundreds of billions of dollars to fuel their terror and military regime."
4. Sanctions relief isn't tied to Iran complying with the deal, meaning Iran gets massive amounts of relief before they've demonstrated strict adherence.
5. And the money can't be taken back once Iran gets it.
6. That relief can be used to expand Iran's malign and destabilizing influence in the region that has exacerbated sectarian conflict.
7. The money can also be used to further fund Iran's terrorist proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah, Assad, and Houthis in Yemen.
8. In fact, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,said that Iran will not change its anti-American policy.
9. To enforce the deal, world powers must first know if Iran violated the deal but that is an unclear process that can bedelayed for weeks while Iran would be able to hide and obfuscate banned activities.
10. Iran doesn't have to come clean on its past nuclear activity, leaving world powers little ability to verify future illegal advances.
11. Iran's foreign minister interprets the deal very differently than the Obama Administration does.
12. For example, he believes that the scale of foreign investments would effectively prevent the world from re-imposing sanctions on Iran, making the "snapback" provision of the deal effectively meaningless.
13. He also said that Iran could deny inspectors access to nuclear and military sites under the deal.
14. He also said that Iran would not be violating the deal if itbroke the UN resolution prohibiting the purchase of conventional arms and missiles because the arms embargo is implicitly out of the scope of the nuclear agreement.
15. Even if Iran adheres to the arms embargo, the embargo is lifted in 5 years, giving Iran access to additional conventional arms to further fuel terrorism and their drive for regional domination.
16. In 8 years, the missile ban will be removed, allowing Iran to acquire missiles that could carry nuclear payloads.
17. The Obama Administration pushed for the UN to vote on the deal in an attempt to jam Americans and their elected representatives before they've even had a chance to review the deal.
18. Iran will be allowed to conduct advanced research and development that will pave the way for centrifuges that are modern and efficient. They will be able to enrich huge amounts of Uranium that will shorten their breakout time for a bomb.
19. The deal also provides sanctions relief to Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani, leader of the elite Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, who is a designated terrorist who is responsible for the deaths of at least 500 U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
20. On top of that, the deal lifts sanctions on two Iranian atomic scientists who worked on Iran's illegal nuclear program and a nuclear proliferator who has previously helped smuggle nuclear components.
21. The murderous Syrian President Bashar al-Assadcalled this deal a "great victory" and congratulated Iran on their achievement.
Congress will continue its work reviewing this deal over the coming months. The people have a right to know exactly what the Obama Administration negotiated, and Congress should not accept a deal that is not in our national security interest.
Happy Birthday: Americans with Disabilities Act
Sunday marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) -- a very importantcivil rights achievement for our country.
This legislation is an important part of our commitment to the proposition that no matter where you come from, your background, your health status, this is the country where you can build a better life.
The ADA has made a huge difference in enhancing the ability of those with disabilities to succeed.
Whether it was last year's passage of the Work Force Innovation and Opportunity Act, the ABLE Act that is now being passed in state legislatures all across the country, or the Steve Gleason Act, this is a Congress that is committed to innovative, common sense solutions that are going to improve people's lives, across the board.
Salute: We honor the courage and the sacrifice of the four Marines and one sailor murdered in the terror attack in Chattanooga, Tennessee last week. I am pleased that the President followed the lead of Speaker Boehner and ordered flags to fly at half-mast across the nation. This attack is a reminder that our men and women in uniform are under constant threat, no matter where they serve.
Salute: The ARC of New Jersey celebrated its 65th anniversary in late 2014. ARC-NJ was a strong supporter of the ABLE Act which will allow families to save for a loved one's long-term needs, via 529-style savings accounts, without jeopardizing an individual's eligibility for critical federal entitlement programs like Medicaid. I was a proud co-sponsor of the ABLE Act.
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