Legislation

WASHINGTON — On June 23, President Donald J. Trump signed into law S. 1094, the “Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017,” which makes a number of changes to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) authorities related to personnel, accountability and whistleblower protections.

WASHINGTON — On June 23, President Donald J. Trump signed into law S. 1094, the “Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017,” which makes a number of changes to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) authorities related to personnel, accountability and whistleblower protections.

We need to hold our employees accountable for their actions if they violate the public trust, and at the same time protect whistleblowers from retaliation

I applaud Chairman Isakson, Senator Rubio and Ranking Member Tester for introducing S. 1094, the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017, among other co-sponsors. Together with similar House-passed legislation sponsored by House Veterans Affairs' Chairman Phil Roe, I have increasing confidence Congress will provide me and future Secretaries the authority we need to hold our employees accountable and protect whistleblowers from retaliation. This bill is great news for Veterans and for the hardworking employees at VA.

WASHINGTON — Today, following the U.S. Senate’s passage by unanimous consent last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that extends the Veterans Choice Program (VCP) until the funding dedicated to the program is exhausted. The VCP is a critical program that increases access to care for millions of Veterans. Without this legislation, the ability to use VCP funding would have ended abruptly on Aug. 7 of this year. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. David J. Shulkin released the following statement of support: