Our veterans were first and foremost in our thoughts as Representatives of the people returned to Washington this week. I have shared with you, for some time, my desire to make sure America’s veterans receive the health care they have earned. This week, the House unanimously approved the Veterans Access to Care Act, H.R. 4810, to give any veteran who has been waiting for an appointment for more than 30 days the ability to get care outside the VA system. It will also enable veterans who live more than 40 miles from a VA facility to receive non-VA care. Finally, this bill suspends bonuses for all VA employees for the next two years. It makes no sense to pay bonuses to people who are simply doing a job they were hired to do.
We have learned that 57,000 veterans are waiting for care, which is unacceptable. We owe it to our veterans to put them first by making it easier for them to access quality care. Our veterans stood for us. It is now time for us to stand for them.
Another issue getting a lot of attention on Capitol Hill is the prisoner exchange that involved five members of the Taliban being released from Guantanamo for U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl. My House Armed Services Committee colleagues and I heard from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel who argued that he and President Obama moved forward with the complete confidence that they were acting in a lawful manner. He acknowledged, however, that the Administration could have done a better job of keeping Congress informed of the actions being taken.
This is a major concern at this time. There are many allegations surrounding the Bergdahl case, and I do not intend to jump to conclusions without the facts. But there is one fact that is not in doubt – the Obama Administration took action without informing Congress. That runs contrary to the law. The National Defense Authorization Act requires an administration to give Congress 30 days’ notice in advance of such a deal. The Obama Administration failed to do that. It did, however, admit to informing 80-90 people within the Administration. Certainly the representatives of the people should have had an opportunity to provide input as well, especially since that is the law!
We must also assess whether the release of these five terrorists will put the United States in jeopardy in the future. No one can look into the future to predict what might happen, but we can be certain that the threat of these five taking action against our country or our men and women in uniform is of concern now that they are no longer being held at Guantanamo. I appreciate Defense Secretary Hagel meeting with our committee to answer questions, but it sets a dangerous precedent to disregard the law of the land in this manner.
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