The stakes: The Department of Veterans Affairs is the second largest, behind only the DoD, in terms of both personnel and budget. Follow the handful of reporters dedicated to this beat and hold the department and its leadership, as well as these lawmakers, accountable to veterans https://twitter.com/nikkiwentling/status/1354516651597848576

2/x One of the things I hope to see discussed today: How can @DenisMcDonough, @SVACDems, and @SenateVA(R's) best improve transparency, accountability, and trust in the Department of Veterans Affairs?

Answer: Formally recognize a VA Press Corps.

3/x The last Administration, under (confederate fanboy) @SecWilkie, was openly hostile to the press, and instructed staff even at local levels to stonewall reporters. We can't allow this lack of accountability in the future.

Background via @Jasper_Craven: https://battleborne.substack.com/p/the-muzzling-of-the-vas-office-of

4/x The @DeptVetAffairs is often demonized as a source of constant scandal, despite the fact that it consistently offers the best healthcare and patient satisfaction of any medical system in the country. Any large system will have problems, some severe...

5/x The previous Administration ran on a platform of calling the VA "the most corrupt" department, and constantly demonized VA employees -- many of whom are veterans themselves -- and worked to destroy VA employees' morale.

6/x The previous Administration misused the VA's Office of Whistleblower Protection to retaliate against whistleblowers. This abuse was hidden, in part, by a long-standing policy of keeping VA-beat reporters out of the building.

More via @LeoShane: https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2019/10/24/va-office-charged-with-whistleblower-protection-hurts-them-instead-investigators-say/

7/x It's not just the scandals that go hidden by keeping VA-beat reporters out of the building: it's the good ones too. (Of which there are many). Without *access* to VA officials, reporters have an uphill battle in building sources in the building, so the good stories go untold

8/x By comparison: the DoD press corps, White House press corps, and State Department press corps get a ton of their stories from folks outside of their respective press shops. This increased transparency builds trust and familiarity between Americans and their government.

9/x The VA has four missions, which few Americans are aware of: 1) providing veterans health care, 2) issuing veterans benefits, 3) maintaining national cemeteries, and 4) "improve nation's preparedness for response to war, terrorism, national emergencies, and natural disasters..

10/x ...by developing plans and taking actions to ensure continued service to veterans, as well as to support national, state, and local emergency management, public health, safety, and homeland security efforts."

11/x The previous Administration completely ignored the Fourth Mission throughout the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, much to the frustration of veteran advocates, VA employees, and those involved in emergency response.

12/ Without press having access to the building and (confederate sympathizer) Secretary Wilkie, the previous Administration was able to avoid the accountability that comes with being confronted on camera and at a press briefing.

13/ Despite nationwide newsroom cuts, top journalistic enterprises such as @nytimes, @washingtonpost, @WSJ have established and maintained positions for staff who are dedicated to covering VA and veterans issues.

14/x Smaller trade publications such as @MilitaryTimes, @starsandstripes, @Militarydotcom, and @TaskandPurpose *exist* to tell these stories.

15/x By committing to an unprecedented level of press access to the VA, @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris's Administration could establish a new, better standard for veterans that would be difficult for future Admins to roll back.

16/x In formally recognizing a VA Press Corps, and granting them dedicated space in VACO (in the mostly-unused briefing room upstairs), Biden/Harris/McDonough would build up and protect VA's reputation to the level that it deserves, that veterans deserve.

17/x
Recommendations:
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1) Facilitate the establishing of a formal and recognized VA Press Corps.
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2) Issue hard-passes for journalists who regularly cover the VA beat so that they may bypass the onerous security screening at VACO

18/x
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3) Set up a shared workstation for the VA Press Corps in VA's existing and under-utilized briefing room
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4) Ensure VA publishes the schedules of all Plumb Book employees
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5) Share travel info for VA's top leadership so that journalists may accompany them on...

19/x
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...official business, especially when they are performing site inspections at VA facilities.
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6)VA Secretary McDonough should pledge to give regular statements and provide press availability every two to three weeks, VA's Comms team should do this on a weekly basis

20/End
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7) Provide reporters unrestricted access to the VA press shop, cafeteria, and other common areas in order to facilitate a less adversarial relationship than has previously existed between former Admin's VA + VA Press Corps