U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Forces Public Release of VA Office of Inspector General Reports, Releases Hold on Nominee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin released the following statement in response to the VA Office of Inspector General (VA OIG) announcement that they are starting to release to the public investigative reports addressing wait time manipulations at VA facilities across the country:

“Last week I placed a hold on President Obama’s nominee for VA Inspector General and called for the Office of Inspector General to start releasing to the public investigative reports on wait time manipulations at VA facilities across the country.

“The VA Office of Inspector General has now started releasing these reports and provided a timeline for the release of 77 reports this month. I have also met with the VA Inspector General nominee and he has given me his word that he intends to change business as usual and work better with Congress as a partner when he is confirmed by the Senate. As a result, I have released my hold on Michael Missal’s nomination as VA Inspector General.

“There is a bipartisan commitment in Congress to fix problems at the VA and with improved  transparency from the VA Office of Inspector General, we can better address the problems at VA and put solutions in place that ensure that our veterans are getting the care they need and have earned.”