WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, respectively, today released the following statement after the Senate confirmed the nomination of Michael J. Missal to be Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA):

“The key to true reform at the VA is critical oversight from both the Inspector General and Congress,” said Isakson. “As chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I look forward to working with Mr. Missal as we root out the problems and hold bad actors at the VA accountable. With veterans still waiting too long to receive their care and benefits, now is the time for strong oversight and a cultural change at the VA.”  

“I welcome the Senate’s unanimous confirmation of Michael Missal – a son of Bristol, Connecticut –  to serve as Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs,” said Blumenthal. “He will be a key leader in our ongoing accountability efforts to ensure the VA honors and helps our country’s heroes, like his own father, a decorated World War II veteran who served in the Army’s 286th engineer combat battalion. I look forward to working with Mr. Missal to ensure there is stronger oversight and enforcement to prevent unethical behavior at VA, as well as to rebuild America’s trust in the department tasked with serving the men and women who bravely wore our uniform.”

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The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 114th Congress. Isakson is a veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate VA Committee since he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations representing each branch of the military as well as more than 750,000 veterans.