He throws money and platitudes at the VA to cover up its deadly scandals.
Eight months ago, President Obama put on a grand show for the troops. Surrounded by new secretary of veterans affairs Bob McDonald, assorted politicians, military leaders, and a bevy of TV cameras, the commander-in-chief signed the “Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act.” He’s good at inking things. Obama condemned the “inexcusable conduct” at VA hospitals across the country (and under his own watch). He vowed to “do right by all who served under our proud flag.” He promised America’s veterans new “reform,” “resources,” “timely care,” and an end to the disgraceful disability backlog.
The bill he signed, in case you’d forgotten, included $10 billion in emergency funding to pay for veterans to go outside the chronically dysfunctional VA system if they are facing long wait times or live 40 miles or more from a VA facility, plus another $6.3 billion to set up 27 new clinics and hire doctors, nurses, and other medical staff. So, how’s it all working out? About as well as every other “success story” Obama has signed his name to: abysmally, ineffectually, and incompetently. Take Obama’s hyped plan to expand health-care access to those who live far from a VA facility.