“President Donald Trump often touts a law he signed to speed up firings at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He and other Republicans see the law as a model for weakening civil service protections across the federal government.”
“The administration’s case for the new law centered on Brian Hawkins. Hawkins was the director of the VA hospital in Washington when an internal investigation discovered safety risks for patients. The VA tried to fire Hawkins but got held up on appeal… Once Congress passed the legislation, the VA used it to go after Hawkins a second time.”
“Now, almost two years later, the VA’s case against Hawkins has fallen apart. On Tuesday, the government said it would give Hawkins his job back rather than defend the statute in court.
“While the administration tried to make Hawkins into a symbol of why it needed the legislation, court records tell a different story…” Read the full article here.
Source: Trump’s VA Firing Spree Falters in Court – By Isaac Arnsforf, May 15, 2019. ProPublica.
