ms. halliday, that your predecessor made a mistake by issuing the subpoena. i would add you to withdraw it -- i would ask you to withdraw. >> i will take that under strong consideration. >> thank you. ms. lerner. >> chairman kirk and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today about the u.s. office of special counsel and our work with the v.a. whistleblowers. my statement today will focus on just three areas. first, our role and whistleblower disclosures and whistleblower retaliation cases. second, an overview of progress made in the past year. finally, some areas of ongoing concern. starting with our role. we help employees who make disclosures of wrongdoing and those who ask.'s retaliation for doing so. there are separate processes for these types of cases. if an employee poses a health or safety concern and it meets a very high standard of review, i send the matter to the agency for investigation. after investigate and, the agency had must submit a report to my office. the whistleblower is given an opportunity to comment on t

ms. halliday a chance to respond to that question. ms. halliday: thank you. i believe you really have to enforce accountability here when you have reprisals against whistleblowers and it has to be tough. it has to be what you're somebody would take great pause to do that. you need training with assistant with regard to the h.r. personnel practices. you need training in leadership. i think the first have to protect his. i do not think they always do. maybe we do not have the right tools in their pocket to do that, but it is clear the need to improve in that area. i personally into three weeks i was here i added a component of training on whistleblower rights we go out and do our combined program assessments at the medical facilities and the people in the medical facility. i told them i wanted a piece in day so there is better training. that does not touch everyone in the v.a. system, but it touches a lot of people. those who beat the things i would look at immediately. senator baldwin: thank you. >> i know we have got a vote, i will not take a lot of time, but

ms. halliday. >> thank you for the opportunity to discuss how the v.a. oig interacts with complainants and whistleblowers. this is my first hearing as the deputy inspector general and i look forward to continuing a working relationship between the oig and the congress. i have testified a can -- at congressional hearings in my previous role as the assisted inspector general for all of the largest line office in the oig and i now welcome the opportunity to share with you the work of all components of our ig. i am accompanied by the counselor to the inspector general and mr. david day, the assistant inspector general for health care inspection. i assumed the position of the deputy inspector general on july 6, 2015. in the past three weeks, i have taken several immediate depth -- steps to strengthen but the oig -- oig's internal was a blur program as well as our whistleblower protection program. these actions are outlined in my written statement or it i took these actions to establish clear expectations and set a tone at the top for our organization regardin