Gardner-Backed VA Reform Legislation Signed into Law

Press Release

Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) today released the following statement after President Trump signed the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 into law. This legislation makes it easier for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to discipline (including firing) employees who do not provide the proper care to our veterans and creates an office within the agency specifically designed to receive whistleblower tips.

"After multiple scandals at the VA, Congress worked in a bipartisan fashion and passed additional reforms that will have a real impact on our nation's veterans," said Gardner. "Bringing greater accountability to the VA has always been a priority of mine and I will continue to fight for our veterans. The men and women who served our country deserve the best possible care and today we took another step forward to meeting that goal."

During debate in the Senate, Gardner offered an amendment that would allow the VA Secretary to reduce an individual's pension for an act of gross negligence or mismanaging funds. An amendment such as this is necessary because it would have allowed the VA to reduce Glenn Haggstrom's pension for his gross mismanagement of the Aurora VA hospital project.

Last Congress, Gardner led the effort for the completion of the VA Hospital in Aurora. In his first month in the Senate, he teamed up with fellow members of the Colorado delegation to introduce the Aurora VA Hospital Financing and Construction Reform Act of 2015, and much of the language Gardner authored was later included in legislation that provided funding to the Aurora hospital. He was also instrumental in pressing for the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs to hold a field hearing in Colorado in April of 2015. In May, Gardner worked to garner support for the passage of a short-term funding bill that would allow construction to continue after the project ran out of money. In September of 2015, the project once again was threatened to be shut down in the face of cost overruns. Gardner again secured the funding required to complete the hospital by working with leadership in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.

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