Rubio Campaign Press Release - Marco Has Stood Up and Won Victories on Veterans Issues

VA Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders tried to kill Marco Rubio's work to put health care for veterans before the unions. "Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders objected to Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) bill allowing Veterans' Affairs leaders to make any necessary terminations in light of the department's hospital scandal." (Bernard Sanders Objects to Rubio's VA Accountability Bill, Fox News, 05/22/14)

Bernie Sanders tried to kill Marco Rubio's legislation because of complaints from union bureaucrats. "On May 22, Sanders scuffled with Rubio over legislation to let the VA fire those linked to the secret lists. The bill had sailed through the House with bipartisan support; the American Legion and other vet groups backed it. But Sanders complained he hadn't read it. Rubio offered to wait while he did. The bill is only 351 words long. Rubio insists a new VA director has to be able to 'fire executives underneath him if they haven't done their job — a power he doesn't have right now.' But Sanders killed the bill, saying he wants to keep the "due process" rules — months of hearings and paperwork — that make firing federal workers as impossible as firing New York City public-school teachers. … Sanders' union allies have long opposed sending vets for outside care, and Sanders resisted the Choice Card idea." (Betsy McCaughey, "Help The Vets — Or TheVA Unions?," The New York Post, 06/05/14)

Marco played a vital role in passing legislation to overhaul the VA. "A bill to overhaul the Department of Veterans Affairs, for example, didn't pass on its own but became part of a much-larger VA bill that did pass; Rubio played a vital role on a special committee that finalized that legislation." (For Rubio and others, turning ideas into law is a daunting task, McClatchy, 03/16/15)

Marco was asked to be part of the conference committee to ensure his VA Management Accountability bill became law. "U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) will now be part of the group working to fix issues with veterans healthcare. … While he is not a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Rubio was asked to be part of the conference committee due to his work in sponsoring the VA Management Accountability Act of 2014, which was passed by the House in May. It was also included in the Senate-passed VA reform legislation earlier this month." (Rubio named to House-Senate Committee on VA reform bill, CBS Miami, 06/18/14)

Marco's work to reform the VA was recognized in the process. "Three Florida legislators have been picked to for the committee tasked with reconciling differences between Senate and House bills aimed at reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs. … Rubio does not serve on the Senate's veterans affairs committee, but was chosen for his work on his own VA reform bill which was included in the final version passed by the Senate sponsored by Bernie Sanders, I-VT, and John McCain, R-AZ." (Rubio, Brown, Miller key figures on VA conference committee to reform system, Florida Times-Union, 06/19/14)

Marco's proposal to allow the VA Secretary to fire incompetent bureaucrats was included in the legislation signed into law. "The new law would grant the VA secretary additional powers to fire incompetent managers, something Obama noted in his comments. 'If you engage in an unethical practice, cover up a serious problem, you should be fired,' Obama said. (Martin Matishak, The Hill, 08/07/14)