House Republicans on Wednesday passed new rules to speed the firing of problematic Veterans Affairs Department employees, despite a veto threat from the White House and objections from Democratic lawmakers.
The measure would shorten the appeals process time for fired or demoted VA employees and put strict limits on how long workers could be put on paid suspensions for infractions.
Supporters call the accountability bill a critical step forward in reforming the VA's reputation, still battered from accusations of mismanagement, records manipulation and callousness at regional offices.
Bill sponsor and House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., said the measure brings "much needed accountability" to the department, noting that officials routinely take months to punish or dismiss bad workers.
"Bad employees mean bad customer service," Miller said. "If we truly want our veterans to have the very best care and services, status quo is no longer acceptable."
But the 256-170 vote fell largely along party lines, with most Democrats opposed to what they see as unfair and possibly unconstitutional rules regarding protections for federal employees. Several argued that the changes would make VA workers "at will" employees who could be dismissed with only flimsy cause at any time.
"This would destroy VA's merit-based civil service system," said Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Md. "This bill is nothing more than union busting, and it needs to be stopped."
A day earlier, White House officials threatened to veto the measure, saying it could "have a significant impact on VA's ability to retain and recruit qualified professionals and may result in a loss of qualified and capable staff to other government agencies or the private sector."
Democrats pushed to water down some of the provisions, offering an amendment to restrict some firings while still giving VA leadership a freer hand in managing the workforce. That proposal was defeated, both in committee and on the House floor.
The bill also includes language that would allow VA officials to pull back some pension benefits of fired senior employees and would authorize the Government Accountability Office to study how much time VA employees spend on carrying out "labor organizing activities."
VA officials have objected to the measure, and said they are working to increase accountability throughout the department.
More than 187 workers have faced some disciplinary action related to data manipulation or patient wait time problems, which prompted national outrage and similar reform legislation last summer. VA officials have cited that as evidence they are working to root out problem employees and provide better care to veterans.
But critics note that only a small number of those employees have been terminated, and said VA leaders are more inclined to transfer and hide those workers than to wade through complex federal labor rules to dismiss them.
Despite Wednesday's vote, the bill faces a problematic path to becoming law. Senate Democrats are likely to block consideration of the measure on the same grounds as their House counterparts, and neither chamber appears to have the support to override a presidential veto.
Senate Republicans hope to bring up the measure when they return from their August break.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
