Ah, summer recess, and Congress can go home and feel good about itself. The just-passed massive $16+ billion bill to address problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs is now on its way to the White House for President Obama’s signature.
But why did three Republican senators—Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Bob Corker of Tennessee and Jeff Sessions of Alabama—vote against the bill?
As Senator Coburn, who is also a physician, notes, “Ultimately, the VA suffers from the same problem as Congress: too much money and not enough leadership.”
The problems plaguing the VA are not from lack of funding. The VA, with the second-largest budget in the federal government, ends each year with billions of unspent dollars. Rather than making the VA more transparent and accountable, Congress inexplicably is rewarding this out-of-control agency with another $16 billion.
Read here in The Doctor Is Out why Dr. Tom Coburn believes in limiting federal power and devolving responsibility to the states.
