WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a meeting today with Robert McDonald, former CEO of Procter and Gamble and the nominee for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown – a senior member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs and a member of the 2014 veterans’ conference committee – called for swift confirmation of the nominee to help breathe new life into the Department.
“Our commitment to our veterans must match their commitment to our nation,” Brown said. “As a West Point graduate and former CEO of Procter and Gamble, I am confident that Mr. McDonald will be an effective leader and advocate for our nation’s veterans. The VA is faced with many hurdles that it must overcome. It’s imperative that reforms are put in place that hold senior-level VA officials accountable for mismanagement, while taking steps to address systemwide shortages in doctors and nurses. Veterans who have served this country should not have to wait to see a doctor. The VA must also continue its efforts to increase outreach to post-9/11 veterans and better address Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. These hurdles are not insurmountable and I look forward to working with Mr. McDonald as we serve those who have served us.”
On Wednesday, Brown called for swift passage of the Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 and outline how this legislation would cut down wait times by expanding available medical services for veterans, provide additional funding to the VA for the training and hiring of new medical staff to help address systemwide shortages, and empower the VA Secretary to remove senior officials, helping reestablish accountability within the Department.
In June, Brown was appointed to the first Senate-House conference committee in fifteen years to address veterans’ legislation. As the only Ohio Senator to serve a full term on the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, Brown has introduced a package of key legislative proposals aimed at addressing issues facing Ohio veterans.
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