By Rep. Scott Rigell, VA-2
President Obama was right in denouncing the serious deficiencies at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and vowing to get to the bottom of the problem. However, to date, the President has spoken as if he was a spectator just recently introduced to the growing problems at the VA – and not as the Commander in Chief tasked with and capable of ensuring the proper care of our veterans and our men and women in uniform.
Lumbering along in his presidency as a spectator is not new, nor is the alarming mismanagement and lack of accountability that now defines this Administration. The IRS scandal, the NSA breach, Benghazi, the failed rollout of the Affordable Care Act, the botched Fast and Furious operation, a prisoner swap that has stirred a hornet’s nest of questions, and gross malfeasance at the VA are all symptomatic of a President unable to lead our country.
Although appointed officials direct agencies on a day-to-day basis, it is the President alone, like a Governor or CEO, who is ultimately responsible for their smooth operation. Yet again we find another agency reeling from mismanagement. The question must be asked – who is minding the store?
President Obama and those who advise him are failing to grasp this key tenant of leadership: those seeking and entrusted with positions of great leadership must be held accountable for the performance of the organization. Good intentions and commendable efforts should always be applauded, but they cannot be allowed to excuse subpar performance.
When will the President require accountability from those whom he elevates to the most senior positions in the federal government? His continued failure to hold others, and thus himself, accountable for obviously flawed management diminishes his presidency and America’s stature worldwide. Disturbingly, it hurts our veterans as well.
The findings contained in the recently released IG report confirmed that the dysfunction at the Department of Veterans Affairs extends well beyond managerial incompetence, and includes a perverse culture, where intentional schemes to manipulate data adversely impact patient care. My deep respect for General Shinseki’s service to our country is undiminished. But our collective duty to defend those who wore our nation’s uniform, which includes ensuring they receive quality medical care through the VA, trumps all.
Given the severity of the problems uncovered at the VA and the importance of the mission, I believe that it was both understandable, and best, for General Shinseki to step down as Secretary of the VA.
However, this problem did not begin with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, nor will it end with the appointment of his replacement. The President, dating back to his presidential campaign in 2008, said he would address issues at the VA, and has failed to do so, forcing Congress to step in.
Recently, Senate leaders reached a wise bipartisan agreement to allow the immediate firing of VA officials, provide authorization to hire new doctors and nurses, and allow veterans to get private care if they are experiencing long wait times or are more than 40 miles from a VA facility.
This is a bold step in the right direction, but we shouldn’t be here to begin with. Obviously, the country would rather the President prevent problems before they occur than continue this now familiar time at the podium promising to “get to the bottom” of yet another management failure.
President Obama will be in office another two and a half years. For the sake of the country and our nation’s veterans, I call upon him to do what a true leader would do: hold himself and his key executives responsible for performance.
I urge President Obama, who is the only American who holds the title and responsibilities of ‘Commander in Chief,’ to stop the idle talk and decide to lead — from the front.
