At a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing before the Congressional recess, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) called for personnel reforms at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
00:00Thank you, ranking member Brownlee. Before I introduce our witnesses, I just want to be clear.
00:06Our colleagues have spent the past six months yelling from the sidelines and should have held their criticism of potential plans until a plan was actually in place.
00:16It's public knowledge that the VHA loses about 9% of its workforce annually through regular attrition or about 38,000 employees based on its current workforce.
00:27Those were the same statistics during the Biden administration and are the same statistics today.
00:32We also know the status quo is not working and will continue to cut through the nonsense and restore common sense at the VA to put veterans first.
00:40Additionally, during the past four years, the funding to the VA has dramatically increased.
00:45The numbers of employees increased by 80,000, yet the number of veterans applying for care had remained level nationwide.
00:54Most VA employees come to work and proudly serve our veterans.
00:57However, poor performing VA employees must be held accountable when they aren't putting veterans first and will ensure that that message is clear.
01:05Chairman Bost, House Republicans and myself have full confidence in Secretary Collins and the Trump administration to bring needed change to the VA.
01:13That's what we're focused on.
01:15I look forward to continuing to work with Ranking Member Brownlee and those on the other side of the aisle so that we can effect real change for veterans that the VA serves.
