Excerpt: Q Speaking of the MISSION Act, the President frequently — over 65 times, as of last April — claims that he signed the VA Choice program, which has existed since 2014, when it was signed into law, under President Obama, into law. Have you advised the President that this claim is not correct and that the program has been around since before he was President?
SECRETARY WILKIE: Well, what he was saying was that he superseded Choice. He’s given veterans choice under MISSION. The Choice Act —
Q (Inaudible.)
SECRETARY WILKIE: Let me finish. The Choice Act that we replaced, we replaced it because it wasn’t working. So he has given — he has given Choice in a —
Q (Inaudible.)
SECRETARY WILKIE: I just gave the statistics: over a million since June 6th.
Q But, sir, he claims that the Choice program was created under his administration. He’s done it many, many times. It’s not true, whether — you know, the MISSION Act did update and improve that program, as you say.
SECRETARY WILKIE: Yes.
Q But the program existed since 2014. And I’m asking if you’ve advised the President that — to claim that VA Choice was created during his administration is not true.
SECRETARY WILKIE: I only go by what the President has done in the one year and three months that I have been Secretary. Choice —
Q Well, he’s told this lie many times —
SECRETARY WILKIE: I’ll just — no, last time I’ll say it —
Q — while you’ve been Secretary, sir. ~~~~~~~~
WHen asked what his "biggest complaint" was, Secretary Wilkie said the following:
"I will tell you what the most frustrating part of the job is. There are many people who still look at VA as if it were 2014, 2015, and 2016, when there was a scandal — a systematic scandal — a day. And that, as I said in my opening remarks, we were 17 out of 17, in terms of best places to work. Our patient satisfaction rates were below 50. I want people to take an unfiltered look at what we are doing and the breadth of the change that has been made, the support that we’ve been given by this President. It’s unprecedented."