Turnaround at the VA
With Memorial Day just around the corner, U.S. veteran, financial expert and nationally syndicated radio and television host Dan Celia is taking a hard look at the Veterans Administration, and he admits that the turnaround under Secretary David Shulkin is not one he expected.
“At first, I was not a fan of Secretary David Shulkin,” Celia wrote in a new op-ed today for Townhall.com, where he is a regular contributor. “One of three Trump appointees that I questioned, I felt he had made it a point to be somewhat of a career politician. I believed what we needed in that position was not an Obama-holdover appointee, but a businessman who specialized in turning around organizations. I have to admit—my original assessment of Secretary Shulkin has been proven wrong.”
Celia has long said that the VA would never be fixed without the ability to fire some employees and hold deplorable ones accountable. Without such tools, it’s difficult to turn around any organization, he said.
“In my opinion, the VA was the most disturbing of all the ineffective and inefficient government agencies because it is dealing with life-and-death situations—and, more importantly, the life and standard of living of veterans who have served our country so faithfully,” Celia said.
He is encouraged, however, with the recent executive order signed by President Trump a few weeks ago, which established an office of accountability and whistleblower protection within the VA.
“This order was not only a necessary part of turning around the Veterans Administration, it was the fulfillment of a campaign promise to veterans,” said Celia. “This executive order didn’t get the press coverage it deserved. As a veteran, this was an incredibly significant executive order and will have huge impact in turning around the VA.”
Read more about Celia, FISM and the “Financial Issues” program here. To interview Dan Celia of Financial Issues Stewardship Ministries, contact Beth Harrison, 610-584-1096, x104, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, or Deborah Hamilton, 215-815-7716 or 610-584-1096, x102.
