Veterans
Affairs ControversyThis
month brought Memorial Day, a sacred observance in America's democracy on which
the nation honors and thanks those who have worn the uniform of the United
States and have served and sacrificed in its defense. It is therefore the height
of shame and tragedy that at this time the nation is seized with the unfolding
scandal of the government's failure to meet its highest responsibility to
veterans and wounded warriors. At least 42 Department of Veterans Affairs
health-care facilities are under investigation for chronic mismanagement,
deceitful and self-serving behavior, and inadequate provision of care.
Whistleblowers allege that these and other failures at VA facilities may have
led to the deaths of some 40 veterans. Simply put, America's veterans are losing
confidence in the one government agency that exists solely to care for
them.
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This
week, the VA Inspector General released a deeply troubling interim report on the
allegations of gross mismanagement and neglect at the Phoenix VA Health Care
System (PVAHCS). The report details delays in care and manipulation of record
that are ‘systemic throughout’ the VA and states that officials in Phoenix may
have misreported data to headquarters to cover up wait times which averaged 115
days for initial primary care appointments. The IG’s report today tells a far
different story than the one I received in a letter from Secretary Shinseki
responding to an inquiry I made regarding these allegations last month. I now
believe that now is the time for Secretary Shinseki – a career soldier, a
Vietnam combat veteran and a man whose career of service I have long admired –
to step down from his post.
More broadly, Sens. Richard Burr, Tom Coburn
and I are working on legislation that would strengthen the ability of VA
administrators to hire and fire those charged with providing care and, most
importantly, give far greater flexibility to veterans to get the care they need
and deserve, where and when they want it, whether in the VA system or
not.
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Veterans have earned the right to choose
where and when they get their medical care, and it is our responsibility to
afford them this option. Continuing to require that they rely on a system
riddled with dysfunction, while waiting for broader reform, is patently
unacceptable.
My
staff and I are doubling down on our efforts to help Arizona veterans get the
care they deserve. If you know a veteran encountering problems receiving care
please contact my office at 602-952-2410 or here. Our
nation has a duty to provide the best quality of care to those who have served
and sacrificed on our behalf, and we must hold to account those responsible for
breaking faith with that solemn
obligation.
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Arizona
Defense and the National Defense Authorization Bill This
month, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) “marked up” the National
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2015 (the full Senate will vote of this
bill later in the year). Eleven of
my amendments are included as provisions in the bill, 3 of them are of
particular importance to Arizona.
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A-10
Amendment:
This provision would keep A-10s flying and fully operational for an additional
year. I have been a leader of the fight in the Senate to stop the premature
retirement of the A-10. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson is home to the
355th Operations Group, which includes more than 80 A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and
hundreds of military and civilian personnel – supporting over 1,000 total jobs
in the Tucson area. By unanimously passing my amendment, SASC recognized the
unique value and close-air support capability the A-10 provides our troops in
the field, and rejected the President’s proposal to prematurely divest the Air
Force of this remarkable aircraft, which has saved so many lives in combat. We
have tens of thousands of ground troops in Afghanistan today that depend on the
A-10 for close air support. If we did away with the A-10 capability before
fielding a suitable replacement, it would dramatically increase the risk to our
troops in the conflicts of today and the future.
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Tomahawk
Missile Funding Amendment:
This provision would continue funding for the purchase of Tomahawk missiles. The
Obama Administration had planned to halt purchases of Tomahawk missiles without
a clear plan to replace them with a next-generation land attack weapon. The
Tomahawk is one of the most utilized weapons in the U.S. Navy – it would be a
real gamble to halt their production without a replacement weapon available. The
production of the Tomahawk missile supports approximately 200 jobs at Raytheon
in Tucson.
Army Test and Evaluation Command Amendment:
This
provision would prohibit the Army from consolidating Army Test and Evaluation
Command programs until the Secretary of the Army submits a report to Congress
with a business case analysis of the proposed consolidation, an estimate of the
savings, and an assessment by the Director of Test Resource Management Center at
the Department of Defense. The Electronic Proving Ground (EPG), which tests some
capabilities and missions of the Army Test and Evaluation Command, is based at
Fort Huachuca. The EPG supports approximately 150 government jobs at Fort
Huachuca and perhaps as many as 400 contractor
positions.
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Confirmation
of 6 Arizona Judges to Federal Bench
This
month, the Senate confirmed several judges to serve in federal trial courts in
Arizona. The U.S. District Court in Arizona has been under tremendous strain due
to the fact that 6 of the 13 authorized judgeships were vacant. A declared
“judicial emergency” since 2011, the court’s growing caseload and backlog
threatened to undermine the timely administration of justice in parts of
Arizona. Although long-overdue, I am proud that the Senate this month confirmed
an historic and impressive slate of six judges, which will greatly help this
court fully and efficiently carry out its important work.
The
vote was the culmination of a long process, aided by the work of a non-partisan
judicial evaluation commission in the state, which aimed to identify the
best-qualified individuals to fill these vacancies. Congratulations to
Steven Logan, Diane Humetewa, John Tuchi, Douglas Rayes, Rosemary Marquez, and
James Soto. Each of these individuals understands the true meaning of public
service, and their legal knowledge and extensive experiences indicate they will
serve ably and fairly from the bench.
The
District Court in Arizona made history with the confirmation
Diane Humetewa, who will be the first Native American woman to serve as a
federal judge. As a member of the Hopi Nation, she will be a welcome voice on a
court tasked with deciding crucial issues for Arizona’s Native American tribes.
The
confirmation of these six judges marked a tremendous day for these individuals,
the federal court, and the entire
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In
Case You Missed It This Month
- The
Wall Street Journal published my op-ed
on the VA Scandal shadowing over us this Memorial Day.
- Phoenix
and Sierra
Vista held moving Memorial Day events on Monday – I was honored and humbled
to participate.
- Senator
Flake and I supported
and the President signed
into law a bill that enables the Forest Service to correct a mapping error that
accidentally placed several homes of the Mountianare community on national
forest land. The affected homeowners may not have been able to rebuild if the
Slide Fire damaged their homes because, due to this error, they technically did
not own the land. The new law allows the homeowners to purchase the underlying
federal land directly from the Forest Service.
- Senator
Flake and I applauded
the Forest Service’s decision to designate ten locations across Arizona’s six
national forests as emergency “insect and disease treatment areas,” which will
enable the agency to accelerate forest management projects to mitigate the
increased risk of wildfires on about 182,000 acres of Forest Service land that
Governor Jan Brewer formally submitted as high-risk for tree mortality due to
insect infestation. Last month, we requested
the Forest Service give timely consideration to Governor Brewer’s
request.
- The
U.S. Department of Agriculture resumed
the inspection of cattle that are exported from Mexico through the port of
Douglas, Arizona. Last month, I
had a positive discussion with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack during which
he assured me that he would implement certain protocols to safeguard the lives
of inspectors traveling into Mexico and reopen the Douglas
cattle-crossing.
- I
provided
opening remarks expressing my outrage and disappointment due to the recent
allegations of gross mismanagement, fraud and neglect at a growing number of
Veterans Administration medical centers across the country at the Senate
Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing before VA Secretary Shinseki
testified.
- The
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held at hearing on importance of forest
management on Indian reservations – read my opening statement here.
- I
held a press conference with other senators opposing
the premature divestment of the A-10.
- I
applauded
the House Armed Services Committee’s bipartisan vote to protect the
A-10.
- Citizens
Against Government Waste (CAGW) unveiled
the 2014 Congressional Pig Book, which includes 109 examples of unacceptable
government waste totaling $2.7 billion in taxpayer dollars.
- I
was honored to deliver
the Weekly Republican Address on the VA scandal that is growing across the
country.
- Senate
Resolution congratulated the success of charter schools as an essential part of
meeting the educational needs of students in Arizona and nationwide. I am proud
that Arizona is home to the number one charter school in the nation, Basis
Charter School.
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Event
Spotlight: KFYI Veterans Forum
This
month, I was honored to participate in a KFYI veterans forum with radio host
Mike Broomhead. The event was open to veterans and their families to air their
grievances, raise awareness of issues at the VA, and receive help from my staff
with their particular cases. The room was so full and the outrage among veterans
and their families so intense that we had over 75 people listening from the
hallway. At the beginning of the event, family members of four veterans who
passed away in recent months told their stories – with tears in their eyes, they
described how their loved ones suffered because they were not provided the care
they needed and deserved. They recalled countless unanswered phone calls and
ignored messages, endless wait times, mountains of bureaucratic red tape while
their loved ones suffered debilitating and ultimately fatal conditions. Many
veterans in the room echoed their concerns and story after story deepened my
commitment to do better on behalf of those who have given us so much. My staff
stayed for an additional two hours after the event speaking one-on-one with
veterans, identifying resources and handing out over 100 forms to initiate
casework on their behalf.
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