Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Today, Chairman Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.) released the following statement in advance of the one-year anniversary of President Trump signing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act into law:

“Saturday marks one year since this bill was signed into law, and as a result we’ve seen major changes at the VA.  Before this law, veterans were not receiving the level of service they have earned, and many VA employees were not held accountable for failing to live up to the standards America’s veterans deserve.”

“While we have much work to do to continue our efforts to fully transform the department, this law provides the secretary the tools he needs to bring real accountability to poor performers. It also provides important protections for whistleblowers. While disciplinary actions are up at VA, as I said time and time again, this law was never intended to simply increase the number of firings without truly changing the culture of the department. If the authority under this law is not used properly, VA will never live up to its full potential, which is why I am holding an oversight hearing later this summer to examine the implementation of this important law."

“One of President Trump’s first promises was to bring accountability to VA, and I’m proud we were able to keep that promise through this law. I thank the president and his administration for their continued support of our nation’s heroes, and I look forward to hearing from stakeholders on how they believe the law is working.”

The bill was signed into law by President Trump on June 23, 2017. More information on the law can be found here.