{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://walden.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/video-release-greg-walden-we-need-reform-va-and-we-need-take-care-our", "VIDEO RELEASE: Greg Walden: We need to reform the VA, and we need to take care of our men and women in uniform", "2016-09-14", "2016", "2016-09", "Republican", "House", "OR", "Greg Walden", "W000791", "walden.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "VIDEO RELEASE: Greg Walden: \u201cWe need to reform the VA, and we need to take care of our men and women in uniform\u201d \nU.S. House passes bill to continue reforms at the Veterans Administration\nPlease click here or on the image below to watch Walden\u2019s full floor speech\nWASHINGTON, D.C. --\u00a0Days after meeting with local veterans in Medford, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) announced today that the House of Representatives has passed bipartisan legislation to bring accountability and reform to the Veterans Administration (VA). Walden took to the House floor in support of the bill, the VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act (H.R. 5620). Please see below for abbreviated remarks.\n\u201cOn Saturday morning in Medford, Oregon, I met with about 40 veterans who are furious about the delays in getting access to care, and the fact that they can\u2019t maintain providers at the local facility.\u00a0\n\"And everything in this bill, interestingly enough, came up in our discussion. \u2018How come you\u2019re paying bonuses to people that aren\u2019t doing their job?\u2019\u2014this bill fixes that. \u2018Why is it when we raise complaints internally, there\u2019s retribution?\u2019\u2014this bill protects whistleblowers. \u2018Why isn\u2019t there more transparency about what happens inside the VA?\u2019\u2014this bill gets at that. Accountability and transparency will lead us to a better VA.\u00a0\n\"We need to reform the VA. We need to take care of our men and women in uniform. We need to claw back bonuses. We need to get this ship righted. This is a fundamentally broken system that needs repair\u2014I think we all agree on that, that\u2019s not a partisan issue.\u00a0\n\"Most of all, we need to start with what matters, and that is the veteran. That, ladies and gentlemen, should be our foremost commitment and our starting place: what\u2019s best for that veteran and that veteran\u2019s family.\u201d\u00a0\nA recent study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that on average, it can take up to one year or longer to remove a permanent civil servant in the VA and other federal agencies. Under the VA\u2019s existing civil service rules, the department often fails to hold misbehaving employees accountable for their actions, and when they do take disciplinary action, it rarely occurs in a swift and meaningful way. The VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act would give the department more flexibility to remove VA employees for poor performance or misconduct.\u00a0\nThe legislation would also increase whistleblower protections for individuals who speak up about misconduct, and would recoup bonuses from undeserving employees.\u00a0\nAdditionally, the VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act takes important steps to reform the department\u2019s broken disability benefits appeals process. By allowing veterans to waive a hearing, limit the introduction of new evidence, and have the option to bring their appeal to a regional office, this bill streamlines the antiquated appeals process for VA disability benefits.\u00a0\nThe bill passed the House by a vote of 310-116, and now heads to the Senate for consideration.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://walden.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/video-release-greg-walden-we-need-reform-va-and-we-need-take-care-our"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8176469020545483, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}