Obama’s VA Clinics and Disney

The Hill’s Jordan Fabian and Jordain Carney report:

“If my comments Monday led any veterans to believe that I, or the dedicated workforce I am privileged to lead, don’t take that noble mission seriously, I deeply regret that,” McDonald said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

He added that it “was never my intention to suggest that I don’t take our mission of serving veterans very seriously.”

The statement came after he appeared on MSNBC earlier in the day, but refused to apologize for comments he made on Monday that prompted a backlash from lawmakers. Some GOP senators called for his resignation.

“When you go to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line?” McDonald had asked during a breakfast Monday with reporters. “What’s important is what’s your satisfaction with the experience.”

Read more here.

McDonald’s comments drew heated reaction from lawmakers in both parties.
Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) called the remark “tone-deaf.”

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) demanded McDonald resign.

He was later joined by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). The Senate’s first female combat vetcalled for “McDonald’s resignation immediately.”

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said McDonald “could have done a better job talking about Disneyland,” but also defended the embattled VA secretary.

The language would be removed through an amendment to the Senate’s version of the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) filed by Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Steve Daines (Mont.), James Inhofe (Okla.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Pat Roberts (Kan.) and Cory Gardner (Colo.).

The Senate will vote Wednesday on proceeding to the annual defense policy bill.
The Hill’s Rebecca Kheel has more.

To read about what other senators are doing to prevent the provision from moving forward, The Hill’s Jordain Carney has the story here.

“We know far more now about the extent of the military sexual assault problem than we did a year ago, and it’s clear that nothing has changed,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said during a press conference Tuesday.

A group of bipartisan senators lead by Gillibrand will offer the Military Justice Improvement Act as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The Hill’s Jordain Carney with the story here.

The Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense unveiled details of its defense appropriations bill during a Tuesday morning markup where senators made clear they were not employing the tactics of their House counterparts.

The bill, which passed the subcommittee by voice vote, would provide $515.9 billion in base spending and $58.6 billion for a war fund known as the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account.

By contrast, the House defense appropriations bill, which was passed by the House Appropriations Committee last week, would provide $517.1 billion for base spending and $58.6 billion for OCO. But $15.7 billion of the war funding would be used for base requirements such as readiness, infrastructure and modernization, leaving the OCO account dry by April 2017.

The Hill’s Rebecca Kheel with more here.

A Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee will hold a hearing on deterring foreign cybersecurity threats at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 419.https://1.usa.gov/23ZWvry

State Department officials will testify before the full House Foreign Affairs Committee on the Iran nuclear deal at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Rayburn House Office Building, room 2172. https://1.usa.gov/22ieQ3V

A House Foreign Affairs subcommittee will hold a hearing on issues in Tunisia at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Rayburn 2172. https://1.usa.gov/1YIYz5X

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