Congressman Tony Gonzales Questions VA Secretary McDonough in Appropriations Hearing

I recently questioned the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough on the reopening of Frank Tejada VA Outpatient Clinic, transition initiatives for veterans coming from active duty and evolving cybersecurity threats. Secretary McDonough informed me that the Frank Tejada Clinic in San Antonio is on track to reopen June 1. I am a Navy veteran myself, having retired two years ago after two decades of service.

Watch a clip from the hearing here.

Highlights

On the Frank Tejada Clinic Reopening: “I visited the facility while they were making the repairs about a month ago and it had been gutted. That facility services thousands of veterans – 20,000 plus veterans – so we look forward to the reopening as soon as possible.”

On veteran’s transition initiatives: “As a Master Petty Chief, I would help sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines transition out as part of my duties. When it was my turn, I was freaking out – there was a lot going on in my life during that time. The skills bridge has been very effective. If we can place these veterans into the workforce and get them access to health care, that would protect them from a lot of things that could happen.”

On evolving cybersecurity threats: “My view is on cybersecurity attacks is that it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. And when an attack does happen, I do not want us to look back and say we saw this coming, but we did not act accordingly. As you know, it takes time to develop the tools we need. It concerns me the VA hasn’t issued a written Enterprise Strategy since 2018.”