The Briefing Room
General Category => Politics/Government => Topic started by: mystery-ak on May 29, 2014, 04:17:35 pm
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http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/207591-veterans-group-targets-vulnerable-senate-dems (http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/207591-veterans-group-targets-vulnerable-senate-dems)
May 29, 2014, 12:08 pm
Veterans group targets vulnerable Senate Dems
By Martin Matishak
Concerned Veterans For America is launching an ad campaign targeting five Senate Democrats in tough reelection bids.
Their Wednesday announcement came the same day that embattled Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki saw most of his remaining support on Capitol Hill ebb after the release of a damaging interim IG report that found “inappropriate scheduling practices systemic throughout” the agency.
The six-figure “Walk the Walk” campaign, aimed at Sen. Kay Hagan (N.C.), Mary Landrieu (La.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Mary Pryor (Ark.), Mark Warner (Va.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), is meant to pressure the lawmakers into backing the 2014 Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act, which passed the full House 390 to 33 last week.
Landrieu, Shaheen, Pryor and Warner have all signed onto a similar measure being proposed by Sen. Mark Rubio (R-Fla.) that would give the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, be it Shinseki or his successor, more leeway to dismiss officials found to be incompetent for offenses such as mismanagement and sexual harassment.
Hagan and Shaheen have already asked for Shinseki to resign. Other Senate Democrats in competitive reelection fights have also called on the secretary to step down, including Al Franken (Minn.), Mark Udall (Colo.) and John Walsh (Mont.).