releases: https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=cd33aeac-a9ee-4f41-9cba-850834bf0be2
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=cd33aeac-a9ee-4f41-9cba-850834bf0be2 | Heitkamp: Confirmation of New VA Secretary is a Good Step to Helping Restore Trust in Agency | 2014-07-29 | 2014 | 2014-07 | Democrat | House | ND | Heidi Heitkamp | H001069 | www.heitkamp.senate.gov | legacy | **Click here for Photo of Heitkamp Meeting with Robert McDonald Last Week** WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today issued the following statement after she voted to confirm Robert McDonald as the new Secretary for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). McDonald was confirmed by a vote of 97-0. The VA is in desperate need of reform and the recent scheduling scandal brought many of the unacceptable systemic issues within the VA system to light, said Heitkamp. Robert McDonald has a tough challenge ahead of him: to restore trust in the VA. His experience both in the military and as a CEO of a global company means he will bring a new outlook to the VA through much needed transparency, accountability, and reforms to the VA. He promised to work with me to improve and protect access to services and benefits for veterans living in rural areas, including Native American veterans. I will hold him to his word. Now its up to Congress to do its job and pass the compromise bill to help stop the gaping holes in our VA system and make sure every veteran gets the care they deserve nothing less. Last week, Heitkamp met with McDonald to discuss how he would reform the VA, and Heitkamp offered her thoughts on areas that need renewed focus. Heitkamp stressed that the next VA secretary must restore trust in the VA system, while also focusing on reaching out to veterans in rural areas who face significant travel to the closest VA facilities, including Native American veterans. Heitkamp has worked to support all of North Dakotas veterans and make sure they get the services and benefits they earned. To help draw needed attention to the challenges facing Native American veterans and connect Native veterans with resources to help them get support, Heitkamp hosted her firstNative American Veterans Summit in Bismarck, bringing together about 140 Native veterans, officials from the VA and Indian Health Service (IHS), and other advocates. Native veterans serve in the military at the highest rate per capita of any ethnic group. But studies demonstrate they also disproportionately suffer the health consequences of that service. They also often face many challenges accessing services because so many of them live in rural areas far from VA facilities. Following the summit, Heitkamp launched a new webpage to more easily connect veterans with information about how they can best access benefits and services. Last month,Heitkamp voted to approve bipartisan legislationto address and reform many of the inappropriate practices and systemic problems in the VA health care system. The Senate and House announced yesterday that they reached an agreement between their two bills which the Senate is soon expected to vote on. The Senate also recently passed Heitkamps resolutionto make June 2014 an awareness month for Post-Traumatic Stress. The resolution aims to educate Americans about the challenges many veterans with post-traumatic stress face, and reduce the stigma associated with it to help encourage more employers to hire these veterans. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |