VA’s Refusal to Fire VA Scandal Figure Sharon Helman
The VA continues to refuse to fire Phoenix VA Health Care System Director Sharon Helman, the central figure of the VA scandal. This isn't complicated. If VA has the evidence needed to fire Helman, which it says it does, it should fire her. Keeping Helman and other Phoenix executives on the payroll when the department wants to fire them is nothing more than a waste of taxpayer dollars. The Department of Justice has already said it doesn’t mind if Helman is fired, so VA’s excuses as to why taxpayers must continue to pay her nearly $170,000 a year for doing nothing are simply hot air. This is precisely the type of situation that makes the average citizen lose faith in their government and causes quality health care professionals to think twice when considering whether to work at VA. If VA wants to rebuild its reputation with veterans and the prospective health care employees it says it needs, then it should stop making excuses for the villains of the VA scandal and get serious about purging them from the payroll.
The Stop Ebola Act
Countries around the world, including many of those in Africa closest to the Ebola outbreak, have instituted travel bans to prevent individuals from Ebola-impacted areas from coming into their country and potentially transmitting the disease. In the United States, the Administration has the authority to implement similar travel bans for non-U.S. citizens coming from or traveling through these Ebola ravaged nations. Yet, despite repeated calls from both Members of Congress and the American people, the Administration still stubbornly refuses to implement the necessary security measures to help protect Americans from the threat of Ebola.
With the Administration unwilling to act to protect the safety of American citizens, I have joined my colleagues in the House in cosponsoring the Stop Ebola Act, which will be introduced after Congress reconvenes. This commonsense measure would institute a travel ban for any foreign national whose travel originated in, or passed through, any country that has been designated as “widespread and intense transmission” of Ebola under the Ebola response guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO). Furthermore, this bill would deny entry visas for foreign nationals that are citizens of any country designated by the WHO as a transmission zone. If the President continues to refuse to act, the House will. The American people expect their government to protect public health and safety from the threat of Ebola, and the Stop Ebola Act is a serious response to this serious threat.
Center for Security Policy’s “Champion of National Security”
I was named one of 16 members in the United States House of Representatives for the 113th Congress as a “Champion of National Security” by the Center for Security Policy (CSP). The CSP evaluated 27 votes that gave insight into specific National Security positions, though sometimes unpopular, necessary to keep our military strong and protect our citizens at home and abroad. The issues highlighted by CSP included the following: continuing to hold prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and prohibiting their release or transfer, funding Navy aircraft carriers, keeping our nuclear deterrence credible, not transferring away U.S. oversight of the Internet, and not arming rebel forces in Syria. When it comes to National Security, it is about making the right decision to keep us safe and strong, not bending to political interest groups.
In the News
Syrian Rebels Fall to Al-Qaeda Affiliate
Back in September, I strongly opposed the legislative effort to proactively arm and train so-called “moderate” Syrian rebels as a counter to the regional threat of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) because I believed there was no feasible method by which we could appropriately vet the rebels in the time permitted, nor did I believe we could wholly ascertain their capabilities in such time. It appears our strong concerns have unfortunately come to pass as Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate—Jabhat al-Nusra—defeated two U.S.-backed rebel groups in Syria’s Northern Province. As a result, many from the rebel groups have defected, and the Nusra Front has secured weapon stockpiles. I will work closely with my colleagues to urge the Administration to once and for all establish a clear, feasible, and effective strategy to combat not just the ISIL threat, but also the threat posed to us by Al Qaeda’s affiliates worldwide.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Washington Update