FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 3, 2020
Contact: Will Attig
Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, military news outlet Task and Purpose reported that Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie dismissed confirmed delays in VA prescription medication delivery due to Trump administration changes to the Postal Service. In response to those comments, President of the Mine Workers of America, Union Veterans Council Chair, and Vietnam War Veteran Cecil E. Roberts, released the following statement today:
“One thing they teach us in the military is to call BS when we see it, and Secretary Wilkie is full of it. Wilkie’s own staff at the VA already confirmed what we have heard from veterans across the country: Trump administration changes to the Postal Service have caused up to a 25 percent delay in prescription deliveries. Veterans rely on these prescriptions to cope with injuries and ailments they incurred while serving our country. For some, receiving their prescriptions on time is a matter of life or death.
“First, it is outrageous that the Postal Service has taken such aggressive actions to cause this problem. Secondly, it is a dereliction of duty for the VA Secretary to attempt to cover it up.
“No matter what else happens in this politics-first, people-second administration, veterans and their families still expect the VA Secretary to be straight with them. It’s beneath the service to play politics with the health and safety of millions of veterans. Secretary Wilkie should correct himself, apologize immediately and demand that the Postal Service reverse the actions it took to cause this life-or-death problem.”
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The Union Veterans Council brings working-class veterans together to speak out on the issues that impact us most, especially the need for good jobs and a strong, fully funded and staffed VA. Additionally, we hold private enterprise and elected officials accountable for their words and actions. We believe wholeheartedly that the ability for someone to self-identify as “pro-veteran” isn’t determined by what lapel pin they don or what catchphrase they employ; veterans face real issues that require real actions—constructive actions that lead to positive solutions. At the Union Veterans Council, we fight every day for those who have fought for us.
