{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20141112185727/http://walberg.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398491", "The Washington Post: VA restructuring plan draws virtually no outside enthusiasm", "2014-11-12", "2014", "2014-11", "Republican", "House", "MI", "Tim Walberg", "W000798", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday unveiled\u00a0a\u00a0restructuring plan\u00a0to regain the public\u2019s trust and ensure smoother operations after\u00a0the agency\u2019s recent scheduling scandal, but veterans groups and\u00a0key members of Congress have expressed little enthusiasm for the proposals.\nThe American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars have said nothing\u00a0about\u00a0the plans, which is unusual for a major initiative. Meanwhile, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America expressed cautious optimism, mixed with a dash of criticism.\n\u201cAfter years of failure, missed deadlines and disappointment at VA, our veterans will only celebrate when we see results,\u201d IAVA chief executive Paul Rieckhoff said Monday. \u201cWe\u2019re all rooting for Secretary McDonald and the VA, but IAVA members won\u2019t be satisfied until the mission is accomplished and we see a measurable difference in local communities nationwide.\u201d\n Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald speaks about his efforts to improve services during a news conference at the National Press Club on Nov. 7. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)\nSenate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) didn\u2019t address any specifics of the VA plan in a statement about the initiative Monday. Instead, he applauded\u00a0the department\u2019s recent efforts to hire more health professionals who can help deal with increasing\u00a0demand.\n\u201cThat\u2019s the senator\u2019s major focus and the subject of his meetings with [VA Secretary Robert McDonald] on VA reform,\u201d said Jeff Frank, a Sanders spokesman.\nHouse Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), one of the department\u2019s\u00a0staunchest critics, suggested in a statement Monday that nothing will\u00a0appease him like seeing quick firings of\u00a0employees\u00a0who were responsible for the scheduling scandal, which involved widespread falsification of appointment data to cover up treatment delays.\n\u201cNew plans, initiatives and organizational structures are all well and good, but they will not produce their intended results until VA rids itself of the employees who have shaken veterans\u2019 trust in the system,\u201d Miller said. \u201cSo far, VA hasn\u2019t done that \u2014\u00a0as evidenced by the fact that the majority of those who caused the VA scandal are still on the department payroll.\u201d\nLast month, the\u00a0department implemented\u00a0its first official firing\u00a0under new rules that Congress and President Obama approved this summer\u00a0for removing\u00a0senior executives over\u00a0wrongdoing\u00a0and performance\u00a0issues.\nAll told, the agency has proposed terminations for four senior executives, and McDonald, who took office in the wake of the scheduling scandal, has said that he has proposed disciplinary action for about 40 employees, with the\u00a0possibility of 1,000 more to come.\nBut many Republicans, especially Miller, have accused the VA chief of moving too slowly. In particular, the chairman takes issue with the department giving employees five days\u2019 notice before initiating the firing process to give them time to answer the charges against them.\nMiller has also complained that VA executives have a chance to retire\u00a0or\u00a0accept other federal jobs\u00a0before the agency has a chance to finalize their removals.\nMcDonald\u00a0has argued\u00a0that he is holding\u00a0employees accountable as fast as he can while allowing for due process. He said during\u00a0a media breakfast last week\u00a0that he can\u2019t just \u201cwalk into a room and simply fire people,\u201d even with the new law in place for removing bad actors.\nThe legislation that was approved this summer shortened the appeal process for senior executives who are proposed for removal, but it does not allow the VA to oust employees\u00a0without a chance to respond.\n\u201cNo one doubts that reforming VA is a tough job,\u201d Miller said. \u201cBut getting rid of failed executives should be the easiest part \u2014\u00a0not the most difficult.\u201d\nTo read the original article at the Washington Post, click here.", 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://web.archive.org/web/20141112185727/http://walberg.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398491"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6679998952895403, "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"}