News Releases
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, today reiterated his support for Mr. Bob McDonald on the Senate floor and voted in favor of his confirmation as Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Mr. McDonald was confirmed in the Senate today by a vote of 97 to 0.
“He is a leader in the tradition of the 82nd Airborne – paratroopers who are well regarded as the first to be called when there’s a military emergency, and as they say, ‘When the President calls, the 82nd Airborne will answer.’ In my view, that’s exactly what we have with Mr. McDonald. When the President called, he answered that call – he answered the opportunity to serve the veterans of this country,” Sen. Moran said.
“New leadership throughout the institution, starting with Bob McDonald at the top, must command the VA to head down a new path of redemption and hope,” Sen. Moran continued. “We must create an agency that is more cost-effective, more compassionate, more caring toward the veterans it serves.”
Sen. Moran was the first U.S. Senator to call for the resignation of former-VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. He believes earning back the trust of our nation’s veterans starts with new leadership throughout the agency, starting with Mr. McDonald at the top. Washington must create an agency that is more cost-effective, compassionate and caring toward the veterans it serves.
Later this week, the Senate will vote on the agreement struck between the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives on legislation to overhaul access to veterans’ health care. The compromise reached is another important step toward providing Kansas veterans with greater access, choice and flexibility in health care providers and increase accountability and transparency at the VA. Sen. Moran is a cosponsor of the Veterans Choice Act, the Senate version of the legislation that has been agreed upon to address the most pressing concern – giving veterans access to care in light of the ongoing VA scandal.
FTP LINK: Click here to download Sen. Moran’s full speech on Bob McDonald. (Save to your desktop.)
YOUTUBE: Click here to watch his speech on YouTube.