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Rick Crawford Among 5 to Oppose VA Overhaul Measure

2 min read

LITTLE ROCK – Republican U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford was among five House members Wednesday to oppose a measure to overhaul the Veterans Affairs Department and improve veterans’ health care, a vote that drew immediate criticism from his Democratic challenger.

The congressman from east Arkansas voted against a measure that cleared the House 420-5 and is now headed to the Senate for a vote. The $16.3 billion measure is intended to help veterans avoid long waits for health care, hire more doctors and nurses to treat them and make firing senior executives at the VA easier.

The measure includes $10 billion in emergency spending to help veterans who can’t get prompt appointments with VA doctors to obtain outside care; $5 billion to hire doctors, nurses and other medical staff; and about $1.3 billion to lease 27 new clinics across the country.

The bill was a response to reports of long veterans’ waits for health care and VA workers falsifying records to cover up delays.

Crawford, who was first elected in 2010 to represent Arkansas’ 1st Congressional District, said he didn’t believe the measure was a responsible approach because it added to the federal deficit. He also said the measure would restore bonuses to many of the same VA employees accused of mistreating veterans. The bill restricts funding for annual bonuses available to VA employees to $360 million, $40 million less than last year

“Instead of adding over $11 billion in new deficit spending, we should first require the VA to reprioritize wasteful spending in other areas and use all of its unexpected funding to address wait times with the legal statutory authority it already has to utilize outside doctors,” Crawford said in a statement released by his office.

Arkansas’ other three GOP House members – Reps. Tom Cotton, Tim Griffin and Steve Womack – voted for the measure.

Democratic challenger and Heber Springs Mayor Jackie McPherson criticized Crawford for the vote, accusing him of being out of touch with Arkansans.

“Congressman Crawford has turned his back on Arkansas service members, veterans and their families, and frankly he should be ashamed of his vote,” McPherson said in a statement released by his campaign.

Crawford, who served in the Army, said he was disappointed with McPherson, whom he accused of attacking him personally.

“My fellow veterans are facing a health care crisis, and this deserves serious discourse – not petty name calling,” he said.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, broadcast or distributed.)

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