Yesterday The Daily Caller reported that the Trump Administration is dealing with the corruption and other problems that have plagued the Department of Veterans Affairs in recent years.
The article reports:
Days into Donald Trump’s administration, heads are finally beginning to roll at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Two notoriously corrupt employees in Puerto Rico were fired this week, indicating that more may be on the way.
One is the hospital’s CEO, DeWayne Hamlin, who offered an employee $305,000 to quit after she played a role in exposing his drug arrest.
“Mr. DeWayne Hamlin was removed from federal service effective January 20, 2017”–inauguration day–the VA said.
Currently Robert Snyder is currently Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
By order of the President of the United States, Mr. Snyder was appointed as the Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs effective January 20, 2017, pending the swearing in of the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Prior to this appointment, Mr. Snyder served as the Department’s Interim Chief of Staff, appointed by Secretary Robert A. McDonald on January 18, 2016.
The Daily Caller further reports:
Under former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob McDonald, the agency ignored years of evidence about shoddy work ethic, theft and whistleblower retaliation. The VA finally began a months-long investigative proceeding last year, after an outside agency, the Office of Special Counsel, prodded VA leadership.
…In December, Sen. Jeff Flake introduced a bill requiring the VA to stop hiring felons, and to fire the ones that already work there. The American Federation of Government Employees union has refused to say publicly whether it opposes the bill.
During the Obama administration, eleven sex offenders listed the Detroit VA hospital alone as their work address; some of them were fugitives wanted by local police, but the VA cited employee privacy.
Hiring felon is a difficult issue. As a society we need to give people the opportunity to succeed, but wisdom is required. I think putting sex offenders to work in a hospital lacks common sense. Felons need jobs where they are closely supervised and can learn to be an asset to the business that employs them. Putting them to work in situations were people are extremely vulnerable does not make sense.
Hopefully the Senate will quit fooling around and confirm President Trump’s nominations for his cabinet. It really is time to drain the swamp!