BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL AID TABLE
AS THE HILLARY CLINTON E-MAIL SCANDAL CONTINUES, CLAIMS EMERGE THAT THE E-MAILS WOULD REVEAL PAY-TO-PLAY -- A FOREIGN COUNTRY DONATES TO THE CLINTON FOUNDATION AND GETS HILLARY TO ADVOCATE FOR THAT COUNTRY'S WANTS WITHIN THE STATE DEPARTMENT.
REACHED FOR COMMENT, CRANKY CLINTON INSISTED TO THESE REPORTERS THAT SHE HAD NOTHING TO HIDE.
ASKED HOW SHE WOULD BACK UP THAT ASSERTION, SHE REPLIED, "I DON'T HAVE TO. AMERICA LOVES ME. THOSE STUPID FOOLS WILL BELIEVE WHATEVER I TELL THEM! GOTTA' GO, I'M INSTAGRAMMING!"
February 26th, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee heard from the VA led by Secretary Robert McDonald, we covered part of the hearing in Thursday's snapshot. McDonald is in his seventh month on the job. He replaced Eric Shinseki who resigned in disgrace. As Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal told McDonald in the hearing, "That has been one of the downfalls of the VA to this point, the lack of reliable truthful information. It was the downfall of your predecessor."
It was noted throughout the hearing and it sort of left a question mark hanging over whatever limited information the VA was able to provide in the hearing. Blumenthal is the Ranking Member and Senator Johnny Isakson is the Chair. The hearing was about the VA's budget request and the first panel was composed of VA employees led by McDonald. The others were Dr. Carolyn Clancy, well known fabulist Allison Hickey, Ronald Walters, Stephen Warren and Helen Tierney.
Senator Patty Murray is a long serving member of the Committee and is a former Chair of the Committee. She and Senator Dean Heller sponsored the Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act of 2015.
Senator Patty Murray: Secretary McDonald, as you know and as you said in your opening statement, the population of women veterans is increasing dramatically, it's doubled since 2001. I was really pleased to work with Senator Heller to introduce the Women's Veterans Access to Quality Care Act to make sure that the VA does have the services and the facilities to meet the needs of women veterans. One of the key positions of that bill is requiring obstetrics and gynecology to be available at every medical center. I wanted to ask you what resources and staff -- including support staff -- will you need to meet that requirement?
Secretary Robert McDonald: Thank you, Senator Murray. We've very much in favor of that -- of that approach. We're in the process of putting, uh, women's clinics all over the country. We have a new one here in Washington, D.C. and I'd like to invite the members of the Committee to visit it. Uhm, it's in our Washington, D.C. facility, it's a women's clinic. Uh, as you know, I've been out to about 12 medical schools, talked to deans. I'm -- We're hiring. And we need to hire more gynecologists --
Senator Patty Murray: Do you -- Do you know how many you would need to --
Secretary Robert McDonald: Exact number --
Senator Patty Murray (Con't): -- to do this?
Secretary Robert McDonald: I don't have an exact number. I can tell you that in the past -- the past nine months or so, we've hired about 8,000 people. Of that, about 1,000 are doctors. But I don't have how many of that are, uh, gynecologists --
Senator Patty Murray: Okay, if you can get --
Senator Robert McDonald (Con't): -- with that --
Senator Patty Murray (Con't): -- that for me and get back with me on that.
And this is what frustrates me regarding the hearings.
McDonald doesn't have basic information?
He's got a team siting with him at the table and they don't have the information.
Forget not know -- they should know it -- but they're not able to flip through their paperwork in front of them and pull out the figure?
And the team McDonald has sitting behind him at the hearing can't whisper the information to him?
Because, throughout the hearing, the people behind him were feeding him figures and statistics.
When they don't feed on that, when no one at the table volunteers, it doesn't look like people just do not know, it plays like they don't want to share the information.
As Ranking Member Blumenthal and others noted throughout the hearing, Shinseki himself complained, when resigning, that he was not given accurate information from those in the VA reporting to him.
So you'd assume McDonald would be focusing on nailing down information.
If you're aware that approximately 8,000 people have been hired and 1,000 are doctors, knowing how many are OB-GYNs should not be a mystery.
Though he didn't supply a number, with 1,000 being doctors.
There are 152 VA medical centers and if we add in VA outpatient clinics, we're left with nearly 1,000 facilities. (We could also add in the nursing home care units and domiciliaries.)
So there is an issue of a serious lack of gynecologists at VA medical facilities and if only 1,000 doctors were hired, you probably didn't fulfill the needs.
The hearing was February 26th. The Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act of 2015 was read and referred to Committee on February 12th.
14 days later, you're not prepared to discuss it? You don't anticipate discussing it?
Let's go back:
Senator Patty Murray: One of the key positions of that bill is requiring obstetrics and gynecology to be available at every medical center. I wanted to ask you what resources and staff -- including support staff -- will you need to meet that requirement?
Secretary Robert McDonald: Thank you, Senator Murray. We've very much in favor of that -- of that approach. We're in the process of putting, uh, women's clinics all over the country. We have a new one here in Washington, D.C. and I'd like to invite the members of the Committee to visit it. Uhm, it's in our Washington, D.C. facility, it's a women's clinic. Uh, as you know, I've been out to about 12 medical schools, talked to deans. I'm -- We're hiring. And we need to hire more gynecologists --
Senator Patty Murray: Do you -- Do you know how many you would need to --
Secretary Robert McDonald: Exact number --
Senator Patty Murray (Con't): -- to do this?
Secretary Robert McDonald: I don't have an exact number.
The VA was present to argue for the budget and what the budget needs are.
The failure to be prepared to address this issue goes to the continued lack of respect for the needs of women veterans.
Senator Patty Murray: And I also just wanted to bring up the VA's policy, up-to-date -- It is way past time to VA's policies up-to-date with modern medicine and allow the VA to provide better fertility treatment -- including in vitro fertilization for seriously injured veterans who want to start a family. This is a high priority for me. I think it is a high priority for our veterans and I want to work with you to get that done so I'll be talking to you more on that.
Senator Robert McDonald: Working on it.
Senator Patty Murray: Okay, I want to hear from you. What are you doing to work on this?
Dr Carolyn Clancy: So my staff briefed me recently on how many women might be eligible and what would be the specific --
Senator Patty Murray: Well it's women and men.
Dr. Carolyn Clancy: -- medical requirements. Yes. Uh, also compared what the Dept of Defense covers versus what we cover. Or, actually, don't. At the moment. So, uhm, I sent them back with some more questions. So we'll be happy to follow up with you.
Senator Patty Murray: I'll submit some questions on this but I think this is absolutely critical for our men and women who serve overseas, lose their capability and we have to make sure they can start a family so I will be focused on this.
Again, the lack of respect for women veterans.
An issue the VA has failed on is referred to, by a medical doctor -- no less, as an issue for women.
Murray corrected her because Murray's worked on this issue repeatedly. She has spoken to many couple's effected by the issue. She has Chaired hearings on this issue.
She is informed.
And she's done the work to be.
Why hasn't Clancy?
Check her official bio and ask yourself why she is so ignorant of this basic medical issue.
And, please note, this ignorance is after, she maintains, "my staff briefed me on this issue."
And let's note again, as Senator Murray has highlighted for several years now, the Defense Dept provides coverage for this to service members. It's the VA that's failing to do so.
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