Press Releases

Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.), released the following statement after the Atlanta VA Medical Center (VAMC) announced that they would be suspending three police officers following allegations of unacceptable behavior, sexual harassment, and misconduct that has created a toxic work environment within the Atlanta VAMC police force.

In December, Chairman Bost’s oversight team visited the Atlanta VAMC to meet with whistleblowers from the police force who had reached out to the Committee through the whistleblower portal with allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, and misconduct within the Atlanta VAMC police department. Over the next few months, Chairman Bost’s team then continued to work with the whistleblowers and VA to get more information on the situation and later sent a letter to Secretary McDonough on the alleged problems within the agency’s police force, which can be found here.

“Men and women who commit or allow environments of any form of harassment and misconduct – especially sexual harassment – have no place serving our nation’s veterans,” said Chairman Bost. “I am pleased to see the Department finally take action at the Atlanta VA to stop this alleged harassment and hold those individuals accountable who allowed it to persist for far too long. My oversight team rightfully listened to these whistleblowers when they came to Congress for help, but I have said it before and I will say it again, VA’s own employees should not feel that they must come to Congress for action against toxic leaders to be taken. Under my leadership, we will continue to hold this administration’s feet to the fire when it comes to bringing accountability back to VA for good.”

This action by VA to suspend these Atlanta VAMC police officers is in line with Chairman Bost’s push to restore accountability at VA and listen to the whistleblowers who have come forward to the Committee to root out sexual harassment, misconduct, and toxicity within the workplace in all its forms throughout VA to ensure that veterans are being served with the level of respect they have earned. To read more about the Committee’s recent investigation into similar allegations, click here. To read more about Chairman Bost’s Restore VA Accountability Act, click here.