Arizona congresswoman hopes VA bill is start to bipartisan work in DC

PHOENIX — An Arizona congresswoman is hoping a bipartisan bill to make changes to the nation’s embattled VA is the first step toward more cross-aisle teamwork in Washington, D.C.

“I’m hopeful for this ability to engage in bipartisan action on the big-ticket items like tax reform and infrastructure,” U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) said Friday after the VA bill was signed by President Donald Trump.

Sinema said she already met with a few White House officials, including Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Trump’s chief economic adviser Gary Cohen, several times.

Though she realized the meetings were merely a starting point, Sinema said she is ready to work with the other side of the aisle to get things done in D.C.

“It’s too early to tell what this will turn in to, but I can tell the folks in Arizona – this will be no surprise – that I am ready and willing in engaging in a bipartisan way to solve these big problems and big challenges we face,” she said.

The new VA law provided more protection for whistleblowers, made it easier to fire bad employees and created a system to promote employees who were doing a good job.

“This is something all of us – Republicans, Democrats and independents – can be proud of,” Sinema said of the bill.

KTAR’s Jeremy Foster contributed to this report.

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