WASHINGTON — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, gave these remarks Friday following the administration’s nomination of Michael J. Missal to be inspector general of the Department of Veterans Affairs:
“I welcome the news that the president has nominated Michael J. Missal to serve as VA inspector general. For far too long, the VA OIG’s lack of permanent leadership has compromised veteran care, fostered a culture of whistleblower retaliation within the agency, and compromised the independence of the VA’s chief watchdog. Since January, I have been calling on President Obama to appoint a permanent VA inspector general, and I am pleased that he finally has nominated one today. I look forward to sitting down with Mr. Missal and discussing the many issues that affect veterans in Wisconsin. Most notably, the committee’s April 29 subpoena of the VA OIG’s Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center case file has not been fulfilled and it is important that Mr. Missal be more willing to work with the committee than the previous OIG regime to produce all subpoenaed material. Whistleblowers deserve a fair shake from the OIG, and I hope this nominee will usher in a new era of openness, transparency and accountability for veterans.”
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