Trump Signs Executive Order to Protect VA Whistleblowers

President Trump says he sent a "strong message" Thursday by signing an executive order that creates an Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection within the Department of Veterans Affairs, the AP reports. Trump says through the new office people "who fail our veterans" will be held accountable for the first time. VA Secretary David Shulkin tells CNN the office will protect VA employees who identify fellow workers who "have deviated" from the VA's mission. It will also remove "barriers" that make it hard to get rid of such employees. The executive order is in part a response to the up to 40 veterans who died in 2014 while waiting months for appointments at a VA center in Arizona. (More Department of Veterans Affairs stories.)