Washington, DC - Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, released the following statement after the House passed the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017. 

“This bill is a long-needed step toward ensuring Secretary Shulkin has the ability to hold his employees accountable to providing quality care in a timely and efficient manner. Our veterans deserve the best care that we can offer to them, and should never suffer because of employees’ negligence or poor performance. Quite simply, the VA should not have any employee who cannot do his or her job on its payroll. This reform will make certain that those who care for our veterans can be held accountable for the quality of care they provide. Moving forward, I will continue to support common sense solutions to reform the VA and enhance veterans’ care."