Ernst Calls Out the Biden-Harris VA for Mismanagement, Failing to Serve Veterans

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a combat veteran, and eight of her colleagues called out the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for failing to correctly implement the PACT Act, resulting in unacceptable budget shortfalls.

The senators urged VA Secretary Denis McDonough to prioritize protecting and caring for the brave men and women who wore the uniform.

"Under your leadership, veterans have witnessed improper bonuses being awarded to executives while their quality of care suffers, a $15 billion combined budget shortfall which is larger than any shortfall ever experienced by any administration, and a blatant willingness by the VA to mislead the American public and Congress,"wrote the senators.

"The Department of Veterans Affairs is not a tool to be wielded for political benefit, but a mechanism to protect and care for the brave servicemembers of this great nation,"the senators concluded.

Read the full letter here.

Background:

Ernst has been a leading advocate for ensuring that veterans receive the benefits they were promised and a quality of care we can all be proud of.

After the Biden administration reportedly leveraged resources and personnel at the VA to facilitate health care services to illegal aliens in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention, Ernst fought to ensure that VA funds were preserved for America's veterans. She also joined legislation to prohibit the VA from providing health care or processing claims for anyone unlawfully present in the United States.

Ernst's bipartisan VA MISSION Act improves veterans' access to health care services and was signed into law in 2018. Her bill to support veterans' mental health, modeled after the American Legion's "Buddy Check National Week of Calling," became law in 2022.

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