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Senator Johnny Isakson (above) is the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. His office issued the following yesterday:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Contact: Amanda Maddox, 202-224-7777 (Isakson)
Tiffany Haverly, 202-226-6340 (Roe)
Isakson, Roe Request Guidance from Trump for VA Regarding Federal Hiring Freeze
WASHINGTON
– Today, U.S. Senate and U.S. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee
chairmen Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Phil Roe, M.D.,
R-Tenn., sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump requesting the
administration provide the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs with
additional guidance related to the federal hiring freeze that was
announced on Jan. 23, 2017.
A copy of the signed letter can be found
here, and the text is pasted below:
The President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
On behalf of the over six million
veterans nationwide who rely on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
healthcare system, we are writing to respectfully request that you
provide guidance indicating
that exempting VA direct patient care providers is consistent with the
tenants of and latitude permitted in your January 23rd Executive Order
pertaining to a Federal civilian employee hiring freeze.
One of our government's highest
priorities - and VA's single most important mission - is to provide
timely, high-quality care to the men and women who have bravely served
our nation in uniform. A robust
clinical workforce is vital to achieving that goal. As VA direct care
providers play a critical public health role, we believe that this
action is in line with your intent to exempt positions necessary to meet
public safety from the effects of this hiring
freeze.
Also,
as you have rightfully recognized many times before, the VA healthcare
system is currently in a state of crisis. We must ensure that, while we
work toward our mutual goal of VA healthcare reform,
VA is not further hampered by an inability to recruit high-quality
clinicians to meet the immediate health care needs of our veterans.
Thank
you for your consideration of this request. We look forward to hearing
from you soon and to working closely with you and your Administration to
honor and serve our veterans and their families.
Sincerely,
JOHNNY ISAKSON DAVID P. ROE
Chairman Chairman
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
U.S.
Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
cc: Robert Snyder, Acting Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs
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The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 115th Congress.
Isakson
is a veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard
from 1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate VA Committee since
he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home
state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations
representing each branch of the military as well as more than 750,000
veterans.
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