July 30, 2014

House Passes Bipartisan VA Conference Agreement

Washington D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan VA conference agreement by a 420-5 vote this afternoon. Rep. Mike Michaud (D-ME), Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, worked over the weekend to finalize the deal with Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Michaud issued the following statement after today’s vote:

“Today’s House vote on our bipartisan agreement is an important step toward righting the wrongs within the VA that have caused harm to our veterans. But let me be clear – passage of this legislation is the beginning of our efforts, not the end. It is going to take months and years of oversight and commitment to ensure the systemic problems within the VA are truly addressed, and that VA is transforming into a Department that is truly centered around serving the needs of our veterans above all else.

“That is one of the reasons I’m so glad that Bob McDonald has been confirmed as the next Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. I believe Bob’s military and business background uniquely qualify him to make the decisions needed to ensure the VA puts veterans’ front and center.  His understanding of the importance of customer service will ensure VA becomes well-positioned to quickly respond to the needs of our veteran population - particularly as so many continue to return from deployments in battle zones like Afghanistan.

“The bipartisan support we see for this legislation is reflective of how our political process should work: all of us have put aside our partisan differences and have had substantive conversations about what good policy for our nation’s veterans looks like. I am confident that as our oversight and reform efforts of the VA continue, that bipartisan spirit will drive us to take actions that give our veterans the high-quality care and services they have more than earned.”