Dirk E. Slack
York Daily Record
As a U.S. Army veteran, I felt it necessary to respond to a recent op-ed in The York Dispatch that falsely depicted Sen. Pat Toomey’s record on veteran issues.
First, Sen. Toomey has never voted against a bill that specifically and soley funds the Veterans Administration (VA). In fact, it was just last month that Toomey voted in favor of the bipartisan McCain/Sanders legislation that reforms the VA by giving veterans flexibility to choose doctors and medical facilities and lets the VA fire employees. The bill funds new VA facilities, doctors and other medical professionals.
Sen. Toomey also took it upon himself to address the problems at the VA by introducing his own bill, which provides veterans who have been wronged by the VA the ability to hold decision-makers accountable for their actions.
Frequently and unfortunately, Democratic leadership in the Senate lump worthy funding programs, like veterans programs, in huge funding bills loaded with pork barrel projects the big spenders love. I, for one, support the responsible use of taxpayer dollars and am encouraged by Sen. Toomey’s efforts to advocate for efficient budgeting.
The previous op-ed was wrong about Sen. Toomey’s work to eliminate the backlog of disability claims in the VA. Sen. Toomey has worked diligently to eliminate the backlog.
Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_26150848/op-ed-toomey-works-tirelessly-veterans