Cassidy , Sullivan, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Hold VA Accountable for Financial Shortfall

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and 12 Republican colleagues introduced the Protecting Regular Order (PRO) for Veterans Act to hold the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) accountable for a Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) budget shortfall of $3 billion. This bill institutes a three-year requirement for the VA to submit quarterly in-person budget reports to Congress to encourage greater oversight and financial accountability. Additional financial shortfalls would result in the withholding of bonuses for senior VA and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) personnel.

"The VA has a massive budget shortfall. The Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA) recently hired 10,000 additional employees. Did the VBA not know they needed these employees when they suggested their original budget? Did the VBA blow through its budget hiring employees knowing it would run out of money expecting Congress to automatically cover the difference? How much are the employees being paid? What are they doing?" said Dr. Cassidy. "If a federal agency runs a mid-year massive budget hole, taxpayers should ask these questions."

"Telling Congress we have to provide $3 billion to the VA in a matter of days or our constituents won't get their benefits-without any accountability or reforms-is a shocking failure in leadership and management," said Senator Sullivan. "It is incumbent upon the Secretary to appear before the committee and answer questions, but remarkably, he declined to do so. This is not a great victory as some are spinning it. The VA has a duty to provide congressional oversight committees with high-quality, in-person briefings explaining these shortfalls in the future-earlier than just a month in advance. In light of this budgetary fiasco and the millions of dollars' worth of bonuses improperly distributed to VA executives, I've put forward commonsense legislation to require the VA to abide by a basic level of accountability and oversight. Let me be clear: We will fund this shortfall. Our veterans deserve and rely upon their hard-earned benefits. But, going forward, our veterans also expect a much higher standard of accountability from VA leaders. I expect the Secretary and other VA leaders to come to the table with clear answers as to how these deficiencies keep happening and how they are going to prevent them in the future."

Cassidy and Sullivan were joined by U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS), Steve Daines (R-MT), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Ted Budd (R-NC), Mike Braun (R-IN), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Thom Tillis (R-NC).

Click here for the full bill text.

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