Ever since the 2014 scandal that wracked the Department of Veteran Affairs, the problem of how to hold federal employees accountable has been on everyone’s mind.
On Friday, President Trump sought to put an end to the constant questions and arguments by signing a new law reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs. The law is intended to make it easier for employees to be fired for misconduct while offering protection to any whistleblowers.
“We believe the veterans reform is a blueprint for broader reform of the entire federal bureaucracy that will hold federal workers accountable to really do their jobs and take care of Americans the way they should be,” Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips told the Washington Examiner.
However, not everyone sees the new law as a good sign. Some are concerned that the new law will violate the due process rights of VA workers. And to add more fuel to the fire, many are seeing this new law as much more than a reformation of the VA, rather implications for a government wide reformation have been put forth, the Washington Examiner reports.
“The need in the Veterans Administration was crucial,” Phillips told the Examiner. “If it were a standalone thing, it would still be enormously important to protect our veterans and their health. At the same time, we do see it though, hopefully, as a harbinger to broader reform.”
After the signing on Friday, VA Administrator David Shulkin told the New York Times, “The purpose of this is not to do firings, [but to] set the culture and the standards at the VA … The VA has already started to prepare the changes that we need in our own internal policies and regulations to make sure that we’re compliant with this law.”
