Exploring Government Accountability through the VA Scandal

The video discusses the role of the federal bureaucracy in the US government, highlighting its size and independence. It uses the 2014 VA scandal as a case study to explore how the executive, legislative, and judicial branches can hold bureaucratic agencies accountable. The video details the actions taken by each branch in response to the scandal and evaluates the effectiveness of these measures in improving the VA's performance.

What is often referred to as the 'fourth branch' of the US government?

• The Federal Bureaucracy

• The Media

• The Judicial Branch

• State Governments

What year did a whistleblower expose issues within the Department of Veterans Affairs?

• 2015

• 2012

• 2013

• 2014

Who was the Secretary of Veterans Affairs at the time of the scandal?

• Barack Obama

• Eric Shinseki

• Bob McDonald

• Donald Trump

What was one of the executive actions taken by President Obama in response to the VA scandal?

• He resigned from his position

• Abolished the Department of Veterans Affairs

• Established an independent accountability review board

• Increased the budget of the Department of Defense

Who succeeded Eric Shinseki as the VA Secretary?

• Bob McDonald

• None of the above

• Donald Trump

• Barack Obama

What did Congress do to address the VA scandal?

• Impeached the President

• Passed a $16 billion plan to improve VA services

• Dissolved the Department of Veterans Affairs

• Increased taxes to fund private healthcare for veterans

What was the outcome of the judicial review related to firing VA employees?

• The Supreme Court dissolved the VA

• All employees were immediately fired without appeal

• It was deemed unconstitutional without a grievance process

• It was deemed fully constitutional

How many people were reported to have been fired in response to the VA scandal by 2015?

• 100

• None

• 60

• 3

What was still a problem at the VA according to the 2019 report?

• Inaccurate recording of patient wait times

• Overstaffing

• Budget cuts

• Lack of medical equipment

What was one of the improvements made by the VA after the scandal?

• Stopped electronic health records

• Completed one million more appointments in 2018 than in 2017

• Closed several VA hospitals

• Decreased the number of appointments