Nomination of Carolyn Hessler-Radelet to be Director of the Peace Corps

Floor Speech

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Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I believe every Member of this Senate and every American understands the very deep debt of gratitude we owe to the men and women who put their lives on the line to defend this country. That should not be a political issue. It should not be a partisan issue. I think all of us have been appalled by what we read about in Phoenix and in other locations about people manipulating data, pretending veterans were getting care in a timely manner when that was not the case.

It is my strong belief, as chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, that every veteran in this country is entitled to high-quality medical care and that they should get that care in a timely manner. I am going to do everything I can to make that happen.

We live, as everybody knows, in a politically divided country and a divided Congress. Reaching agreements is not easy and, quite frankly, does not take place very often in the Senate. Unfortunately, for whatever reason--without casting blame--it just does not happen. The American people understand that and are not happy about that. So reaching a compromise among people who look at the world very differently is not easy, but in this process, Senator John McCain of Arizona and I have tried our best to come forward with an agreement. It is an agreement which I am sure he is not 100 percent happy about and I can fully assure you I am not 100 percent happy about. I would have written a very different bill. I thank Senator Harry Reid for his strong support for this process, and Chuck Schumer, Patty Murray, and Dick Durbin for pushing this effort forward. I hope we will be back on the floor to continue the effort to deal with the many unmet needs of veterans, but right now we have a crisis on our hands and it is imperative we deal with that crisis.

To my mind, the essence of the crisis is that we have learned in many parts of this country--not all parts but in many parts of this country--veterans cannot get the timely care they need. They cannot walk into a VA facility and within a reasonable period of time get the treatment they need.

So this bill, in a significant way, begins to address that important issue. Let me very briefly tell you how it does that.

For a start, there are many locations around the country where we need new facilities, we need refurbished facilities, we need expanded facilities. In fact, there are 26 locations in 18 States where that is the case. This legislation would allow the construction of 26 major medical facility leases in 18 States around the country. I believe that will help us in many parts of the country in providing the quality, timely care our veterans deserve.

In my view, there are areas of the country where we simply do not have the doctors, the nurses, and the other staff we need to provide the care our veterans deserve. Many primary care physicians get burned out by working 12, 14 hours a day. They quit. The turnover rate is too high. It is my view that the VA, by and large--and this is echoed by the views of the veterans community itself in independent studies--that when people get into the VA, the quality of care is good. But I will tell you, if we do not have the primary care physicians, the other physicians, the nurses we need to treat veterans, they are not going to get the care they need.

This legislation will target $500 million in unobligated balances for the hiring of new VA doctors and nurses. I see that as a significant step forward.

One of the great embarrassments or shocks that all of us feel is that within the military we have seen in recent years horrendous accounts of sexual assault. What this legislation does is say to those women and men who were sexually assaulted in the military that when they get into the VA, there is going to be quality care for their needs.

This legislation also touches on a couple of issues that are not directly related to health care but have overwhelming support in the House and the Senate.

We have heard from many young veterans who are in college as a result of the post-9/11 GI bill who right now cannot afford it because they are not getting instate tuition. This legislation addresses that issue.

I have talked, as I know Senator McCain has, to Gold Star Wives. These are the women who have lost their husbands in combat who, I think for not a sensible reason, are unable to take advantage of the post-9/11 GI bill. They want to get their lives together. They want to be able to go to college or whatever. This bill addresses that issue.

There is another provision which was strongly supported by Senator McCain and other Republican leaders--and Senator McCain, I am sure, will go into it at great length, but essentially what this provision does is say if someone is 40 miles or farther away from a VA health care facility--a medical center, a CBOC or whatever it may be--they will be able to go to the doctor of their choice, under the strict supervision of the VA.

What this will do is prevent people from, in some cases in very rural areas--I think this is mostly a bill for people in very rural areas who now have to travel long distances to get their health care--this will make their lives easier. This is a 2-year trial project. We will see how it turns out, but that is in the bill as well.

The last point I wish to make is I do not think there is any disagreement in the Senate nor among the American people that when we have incompetent people in the VA or worse--dishonest people in the VA--they should be removed from their jobs immediately and that the Secretary of the VA should have the power to get rid of them. I do not think there is any debate about that.

Where there has been some debate is that in my view those employees deserve due process. I say that because I do not want to see a situation where a new President comes in and for political reasons fires 400 top executives because they are Democrats or because they are Republicans or whatever. I do not want to see a situation where somebody is fired because she is a woman or Black or Hispanic or maybe gay, and maybe that is the underlying motive and that person has no course of appeal.

So what we have done is developed a very expedited process in terms of dismissal. We say if someone is dismissed, they are off the payroll tomorrow, they are gone, but they are going to have a week to file an appeal, and the appropriate body will have 3 weeks to rule on their appeal. I think that makes sense. I think when you think about it, it does make sense.

There are a few other important provisions. It is important, in my view, for the Nation to take advantage of the expertise that is out there in the private sector. How do we develop information technology for people accessing the VA? We want to do that. We have a commission that would help us do that. We have another Presidential commission that will help us with construction, which has been an ongoing problem in the VA.

That is a brief overview of what is in the legislation. Does it solve all of the problems facing our veterans? Absolutely not. Should we come back and continue to deal with this issue? Absolutely. But I think, given the crises we have right now, this is an important step forward.

I thank Senator McCain. Senator McCain's views on many issues are not my views. We look at the world differently, but that is what democracy is about. Our job was to sit down and work out the best agreement. We did. I think from day one Senator McCain showed absolute good faith in this, a desire to reach a compromise. I hope he feels I did the same. We are where we are today.

So with that I yield the floor for Senator McCain and thank him very much for his efforts.

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