Tea Party Tom Explains Opposition To $ 17B VA "Fix"

The Senate has passed the bill to give the Department of Veterans Affairs $17 billion, with an almost unanimous vote, following House approval earlier this week.  Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma is one of the few who voted no.  Why?  Because he said the problem isn't a lack of funds; it's management, accountability, and culture within the VA.  In other words, throwing money at the problem isn't going to fix it.

That is exactly what Tom Zawistowski, Executive Director of the Portage County Tea Party said in our interview earlier this week.  The interview was recorded before the votes to approve the bill were taken in Congress.

Local Tea Party Leader Reacts to Cantor Loss

Tom Zawistowski, Portage County Tea Party

Tom Zawistowski, Executive Director of the Portage County Tea Party sounds energized following the primary election win of David Bratt in Virginia.  Voters chose Bratt over seven-term incumbent Eric Cantor, who as House Majority Leaders was the second most powerful Representative and who was thought to be in line to assume the role of House Speaker when John Boehner steps down.

Zawistowski, or Tom Z also runs the Ohio Citizens PAC.  And while he may have been be a bit more enthused than usual during this interview, recorded less than 24 hours after Bratt's victory, his passion for conservative principles is always effusive.

Tom Z Touts Tea Party Wins, Calls for Senate Vote on VA

Reaction to the scandal embroiling the Department of Veterans Affairs has been strong and bipartisan.  Tom Zawistowski, Executive Director of the Portage County Tea Party, knows how slowly the federal bureaucracy reacts to allegations of wrongdoing: he was among the first to complain about the IRS targeting Tea Party groups, a year before Lois Lerner pleaded the fifth.

Zawistowski slams Democrats in the Senate for blocking a vote on a bill to give the Secretary of the VA more authority.

In this wide-ranging interview, Zawistowski also extols the victories of Tea Party-backed candidates in the primaries, including long-time Cleveland Republican Richard May, who will face incumbent 9th District Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur in November. And he explains why progress was made even though State Representative Matt Lynch lost to incumbent 14th District Congressman Dave Joyce.