Mrvan Opening Statement for Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Legislative Hearing

Washington, DC – Yesterday, Ranking Member Frank J. Mrvan participated in the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing to examine pending legislation.

A video of the hearing is available here, and the Congressman’s opening statement as prepared for delivery is below:

I am pleased the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is considering today legislation I have sponsored, H.R. 4225, the VA Acquisition Review Board Act of 2023.  This bill is based on numerous oversight hearings I chaired last Congress, which focused on efforts to improve several IT modernization projects at VA.  

No matter the project – whether it is the electronic health record, supply chain system, human resources system, or financial management system – VA has been trying unsuccessfully for decades to modernize key IT systems.  The common thread between these projects has been a lack of acquisition, accountability, and management.

As we discovered with VA’s recent decision to abandon the DMLSS supply chain modernization project, the authority to pause or cancel a program that is not meeting requirements at VA lies solely with the Secretary.  Programs have been allowed to flounder, go off task, lag in schedule, and result in cost overruns because there have been no formal checks and balances within VA.  The VA Acquisition Review Board Act will provide a structure for those checks and balances.  

It creates a formal acquisition review board, chaired by the Deputy Secretary, and will require meetings and decision points to determine whether the Department has considered the essential cost, schedule, and scope of information necessary to begin and proceed with each major acquisition.  The board will track the progress of major acquisitions and ensure that programs remain on time and on budget.  If not, there will be the ability to pause, fix, or cancel a program.

VA is currently undertaking billions of dollars in modernization efforts across the department, and this also includes the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS).  

We were able to achieve historic progress last Congress with the passage of the PACT Act.  My bill, the VA Acquisition Review Board Act, will help ensure that IT modernization for delivery of those benefits is done effectively.  Toxic-exposed veterans do not have decades to wait for VA to figure out a solution to modernizing VBMS, and we should do everything in our power to ensure it is done right the first time.

Veterans, employees, and taxpayers deserve better, and I know my colleagues across the aisle are just as interested as I am in providing better results to veterans through efficient and effective government.

Knowing that VA has put the work in and has adequate justification for these acquisitions will give Congress confidence to make necessary investments to modernize our IT systems.  This legislation is a good first step, and I hope my colleagues will support it.

I of course look forward to discussing the other bills on today’s agenda, including Chairman Bost’s H.R. 4278, the Restore VA Accountability Act, which seeks to clarify authorities to discipline VA employees that were originally established in 2017.

Since I was not yet serving in Congress when the original VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act was enacted, I am glad that Ranking Member Takano is able to join us today to share his perspective on Congress’s intent with the original law. I understand VA and other stakeholders have raised a number of concerns about the Restore VA Accountability Act, so I hope the Subcommittee can fully consider those today.  

I remain grateful for the engagement on these initiatives with all of our union partners, and before we advance legislation like this, we need to fully understand how it will impact rank-and-file employees.  The last thing VA needs is for Congress to create further barriers to recruiting and retaining highly qualified employees.

I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today and discussing the legislation pending before this subcommittee. 

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