The House overwhelmingly voted to approve VA reform legislation Wednesday afternoon. The $17 billion compromise bill was unveiled Monday by Senate VA Committee Chair Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and House Veterans Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) and was expected to pass both houses quickly. The bill will allow those veterans who live more than 40 miles away from a VA facility to seek care elsewhere and grant newly confirmed Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald the ability to fire staff, among other things. “The Department of Veterans Affairs is in the midst of an unprecedented crisis caused by corruption, mismanagement, and a lack of accountability across the board. VA is in need of reform, and I applaud my colleagues in the House for passing legislation to do just that,” said House Veterans Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) in a statement. “This is an honest solution to an urgent problem. One that is focused on making government more accountable and providing veterans with real choice in their health care decisions.”
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.