Federal Daily - January 30, 2008
Schafer Confirmed as Ag Secretary
By a unanimous vote, the Senate on Jan. 28 confirmed former North Dakota governor Edward Schafer as
Secretary of Agriculture. He replaces Mike Johanns, who left the post to run for the Senate. Senators
voiced no concerns about Schafer's nomination at an uneventful Senate Agriculture Committee confirmation
hearing last week. President Bush applauded the Senate’s quick action on his nominee. “He
will be an advocate for farmers, ranchers, and consumers as he works to open new markets for their
products,” Bush said in a statement prior to his State of the Union Address, which Schafer attended.
Schafer was governor of North Dakota from 1992 to 2000. Before entering public life, Schafer was an
executive with Gold Seal Co.—founded by his father—which markets consumer products such
as bubble bath and glass cleaner. To see more, go to: www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/01/20080128-5.html.
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VA: Illinois Deaths Not Emblematic of Health Care System
Top Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials vowed to fix the substandard medical care within
the VA Medical Center in Marion, Ill., that led to the deaths of three patients. The VA Inspector General
(IG) issued a report Jan. 28 blaming the deaths of three patients at the Marion Medical Center on substandard
medical care and a systemic failure of management and oversight. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, called
the findings “appalling,” and said it was “simply unacceptable that veterans could
survive the battlefield only to die prematurely due to shoddy medical care.” VA officials said
the problems were confined to the facility and did not reflect the VA health care system as a whole.
They pointed out that the IG reported that VA employees at the Marion facility did not follow either
federal regulations or VA directives and procedures. In the meantime, VA has suspended all major surgeries
at the hospital, and has removed Marion’s hospital director, chief of staff, chief of surgery
and an anesthesiologist from their positions (the anesthesiologist has since resigned). “We’re
extremely sorry for what happened; and we’ll hold those who created the problems accountable,” said
Dr. Michael Kussman, VA Under Secretary for Health. “We’re determined to do what’s
right for our veterans and their families, not only at Marion, but everywhere in VA’s medical
system.” To see more, go to: http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1444.
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Union, USPS Sign Agreement for Smaller Offices
The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) on Jan. 28 announced it had signed an agreement with the
U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to extend union protections to about 15,000 members who work in smaller
post offices without a local union structure. APWU President William Burrus called the Local Memorandum
of Understanding for Offices (LMOU)—for members-at-large who work in small post offices and are
not represented by a local union—a significant victory. The union said it should help affected
members get the holiday leave they want, as well require local postmasters to notify APWU when it is
necessary to change, abolish, or revert a duty assignment. “It will provide the protection of
a local contract to thousands of union members in small offices who have not previously been covered
by a local agreement,” Burrus said. The LMOU is effective on Feb. 24. To see more, go to: www.apwu.org/mal.htm.
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