Johnson to VA AIR Commission: Does a Commitment from a Cabinet Secretary Hold Weight?

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) spoke at a congressional roundtable to express opposition to the recent U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) recommendations to the Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission to close or downsize several VA health care facilities in South Dakota.

“A number of recommendations related to South Dakota are particularly problematic. Secretary Wilkie rescinded an earlier record of decision and promised the community and the veterans that there would be no reduction of services in Hot Springs. Where I come from when a cabinet Secretary makes a commitment that generally means something. Do you think Secretary Wilkie’s promise would be persuasive to the Commission?” – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.)

Watch the full video here or click the photo above.

Panelists of the roundtable agreed that the Commission should look carefully at the promise made in 2020 by Secretary Wilkie and to closely examine the recommendations and capacity of private care in the areas. The panelists also agreed with Johnson that the recommendation to close the Wagner, South Dakota, community-based outpatient clinic (CBOC) facility must be carefully weighed, and the VA AIR Commission will have to prove that care for veterans will be equal or better if changes are adopted.

Panel attendees included former Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Chair of the 2005 Military Base Realignment and Closure Commission Anthony Principi, Senior Advisor for Concerned Veterans for America and former Veterans Affairs Advisor for the White House Domestic Policy Council and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs during the Trump Administration Darin Selnick, and Ranking Member of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Mike Bost (R-IL).

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