Senator Bob Corker released the following statement regarding his support for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 (S.1094), which passed the Senate unanimously on Tuesday.
The bipartisan legislation will increase accountability within the VA by streamlining the process to fire misbehaving and underperforming employees, holding VA executives to higher standards, and ensuring appropriate due process protections for whistleblowers.
The bill will now be sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.
“Our nation’s veterans deserve the very best care, and I was proud to support this important legislation,” said Senator Corker. “There have been systemic problems within the Department of Veterans Affairs for decades, and I am glad that Congress, Secretary Shulkin and the Trump administration are working together to tackle these challenges head on. While more reforms will be necessary, this is a step in the right direction, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to address the problems that have plagued the VA for far too long.”