On Wednesday night, NBC Nightly News neglected to inform its viewers of a new report concerning the scandal-ridden Department of Veterans Affairs and the $142 million it paid out in bonuses to employees (including some who were facing discipline and/or recently fired).
Compiled by the House Veterans Affairs Committee, the report stated that some of those who received bonuses still got them despite the fact that “several of them were under investigation or accused of mismanagement” as part of the scandal involving poor care and long wait times for veterans.
In contrast, ABC’s World News Tonight and the CBS Evening News both highlighted this troubling find with a news brief and full segment, respectively. ABC chose to give the story just 15 seconds during “The Index” block with anchor David Muir stating the following:
New backlash against the Department of Veterans Affairs, the agency giving out more than $142 million in bonuses to executives and employees last year. At the same time, the agency facing scrutiny over their treatment for America's vets, getting attention tonight.
While, CBS should be applauded for giving the story one minute and 51 seconds, but nonetheless muddied the waters as fill-in anchor Charlie Rose absolved President Barack Obama from any responsibility for the scandal by touting him as admitting “[o]n this Veterans Day” that “he's still not satisfied with the Department of Veterans Affairs” after “order[ing] a massive overhaul last year after reports that many vets were forced to wait months for treatment.”
State Department correspondent Margaret Brennan set the scene by detailing one of the such delinquent employees who still was handed out a bonus:
Dr. David Houlihan, former chief of staff at the V.A. Medical Center in Tomah, Wisconsin, was nicknamed “The Candyman.” He allegedly doled out an alarmingly high amount of narcotic pain medications to patients. Yet, the V.A. still paid Houlihan a $4,000 performance bonus last year, taxpayer money he kept after being fired earlier this week.
Noting the over $140 million that the V.A. doled out, Brennan further explained the source of the report and quoted Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fl.) concluding that the findings showed a “disturbing trend of rewarding employees who preside over corruption and incompetence.”
After reading a portion of a response from the V.A. defending the bonuses as needed to “retain top talent,” Brennan also mentioned that V.A. Secretary Robert McDonald recently told her that Congress is preventing him from further improving the agency.
Brennan then wrapped up by touting McDonald’s desire for, what else, more funding from Congress so that he can further fix the V.A.: “McDonald needs Congress to approve a more than $1 billion funding increase he requested to help overhaul the V.A. to serve the 23 million veterans in this country.”
The transcript of the brief from ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir on November 11 can be found below.
ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir
November 11, 2015
6:52 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: Bonus Backlash]
DAVID MUIR: New backlash against the Department of Veterans Affairs, the agency giving out more than $142 million in bonuses to executives and employees last year. At the same time, the agency facing scrutiny over their treatment for America's vets, getting attention tonight.
The transcript of the segment from the CBS Evening News on November 11 can be found below.
CBS Evening News
November 11, 2015
6:37 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: VA Bonuses]
CHARLIE ROSE: On this Veterans Day, President Obama said he's still not satisfied with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The President ordered a massive overhaul last year after reports that many vets were forced to wait months for treatment and Margaret Brennan reports the V.A. paid millions in bonuses, some of it to doctors under investigation.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Dr. David Houlihan, former chief of staff at the V.A. Medical Center in Tomah, Wisconsin, was nicknamed “The Candyman.” He allegedly doled out an alarmingly high amount of narcotic pain medications to patients. Yet, the V.A. still paid Houlihan a $4,000 performance bonus last year, taxpayer money he kept after being fired earlier this week. The V.A. paid out $143 million in performance bonuses to employees in 2014, even though several of them were under investigation or accused of mismanagement. The list was compiled by the House Veterans Affairs Committee and its Republican Chair Jeff Miller, who said it's evidence of the V.A.'s “disturbing trend of rewarding employees who preside over corruption and incompetence.” But in a statement, the V.A. said it needs to pay bonuses to attract and “retain top talent” and notes it did suspend payouts last year to some senior executives following revelations that employees falsified wait list to meet targets. V.A. Secretary Bob McDonald, brought on to fix the wait list scandal, said the agency has made progress but Congress is in the way.
V.A. SECRETARY ROBERT MCDONALD [TO BRENNAN]: My vision is being held hostage by politics and what I'm trying to do is to work with the members of the Congress to leave politics at the door and focus on veterans.
BRENNAN: Now, Charlie, McDonald needs Congress to approve a more than $1 billion funding increase he requested to help overhaul the V.A. to serve the 23 million veterans in this country.
ROSE: Thanks, Margaret.
