CBS "Face the Nation" - Transcript: No More Shutdowns

Interview

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BOB SCHIEFFER: We want to go next to the chairman of the Senate Veteran's Affairs Committee, Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders. Senator, thank you for joining us this morning. Why has all of this come as such a surprise to everybody? It's hard for me to believe that these people who were not getting their appointments and all that, surely some of them must have written to their congressman complaining about this. And yet it just comes out of the blue that all this is going on. What happened here?

BERNIE SANDERS: Well, it's not only people writing to their congressman. There have been reports that have been written for a number of years by the inspector general, the G.A.O. I believe that the hope had been is that the V.A. had listened to those reports had acted.

In fact, well, one of the interesting problems that we have is that the V.A. in recent years said, "We want to expedite the ability of veterans to get into the V.A. We want to get them in in 14 days." And what is very clear to everybody right now is that in many parts of the country, the V.A. simply did not have the doctors and the staff to make sure the veterans got timely care, the system was then gamed, which is absolutely reprehensible, which must be dealt with through criminal prosecution and bureaucratic reshuffling. But we need to make sure that that never happens again.

The other point that I would make, Bob, is that if you ask the veteran's organization today, the American Region, the V.A.V., and the others, and you look at independent surveys, the truth is that when people get into the V.A., the quality of care is good. The problem that we have to address is access to the system and waiting lines.

We are going to introduce legislation either tomorrow or Tuesday, which addresses I think the short-term needs to make sure that any veteran who is on a long waiting line will be able to get the care that he or she needs either at a private facility or a community health center, or Department of Defense. But longer term, what we have to do within the V.A. is to make sure that they have the primary care physicians, the nurses, and the staffing they need to provide the quality of care that our veterans deserve in a timely manner.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Do you, as a chairman of an oversight committee, do you feel any responsibility for this? Is Congress is responsible for this situation as the administration is?

BERNIE SANDERS: Well, I think everybody can bear some of the responsibility. We have had a number of hearings. We have met with all of the veterans organizations. I think the point right now Bob is to make sure we address the very real problems that are facing six and a half million veterans who utilize the V.A. system. And what we have got to do is to understand, you know, that the cost of war is very, very significant.

And that means that when you send men and women off to war, when they come home, we have a moral responsibility to make sure that all of them get the healthcare and the benefits that they deserve. And that is the responsibility of the United States--

(OVERTALK)

BOB SCHIEFFER: I was just going to say, I agree with you that I think the first priority is to make sure that these people who need this treatment get this treatment immediately. But whose fault was this? Was this General Shinseki's fault? Is it systemic? Is it just a bunch of people who were trying to make money? What's the main problem here?

BERNIE SANDERS: Well, here's what I think. I have a lot of respect for General Shinseki. And Senator McCain just indicated he is an American hero. And in fact, in a very difficult bureaucracy, he has done a lot of good things. You know, Bob, not a lot of people know this. When Shinseki came in, after the Bush administration, they were processing a million claims a year in paper.

They didn't have a electronic system. That takes a lot of work. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. Furthermore, we have to reduce homelessness very significantly, something that has been a long-term problem. So in my view, what we have got to do now is to focus on the very real issues, and I intend to be active in that process.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Who do you see as the ideal person to head this? Senator McCain says Senator Coburn, who is also a medical doctor. But I guess I would ask you a broader question. Should this be a healthcare professional that takes this over? Or should it be, you know someone with military experience like General Shinseki? Who would be your choice at this point? If you don't want to give a name, just at least tell me what kind of a person this ought to be.

BERNIE SANDERS: Well, I think, look, we have six and a half million people who are using V.A. healthcare. There's a huge system. 230,000 people a day. So number one, you do need to have somebody who understands healthcare administration, how you utilize your resources in the most effective and cost-effective manner. Second of all, you need somebody who obviously knows a lot about healthcare.

And let me repeat. The V.A. today in many parts of this country is providing excellent healthcare, in some cases, cutting-edge healthcare. I want to strengthen that. The issue right now is to make sure that we have the management capabilities that we get rid of as quickly as we can people who are incompetent and that we keep the promises that we made to our veterans.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Let me, before you go, we're about out of time, I need to get your reaction as well, Senator, to the release of Sergeant Bernie Bergdahl. Was this a wise thing for the president to do?

BERNIE SANDERS: Look, I think it's a very sensitive and delicate issue. I suspect that if you ask Senator Bergdahl's feelings about what happened, they will feel very, very good. I think we need to have more information about the long-term consequences, and do everything that we can to make sure that these terrorists do not get back onto the battlefield.

BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. Senator, thank you so much. And we'll be back in one minute.

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