When Army veteran Wayne Johnson says his experience working inside the executive branch of the Federal government will make him dramatically more effective at getting resources to the 2nd District, he has a perfect example to share.
Johnson served in the Executive branch of the Federal government as a Trump appointee as a senior official in the U.S. Department of Education. Johnson’s role was to oversee the $1.8 trillion Federal Student Aid program.
“My direct experience working with the Veteran’s Administration was that the agency worked against veterans, not for veterans,” said Johnson, who is working hard to unseat 32-year incumbent Sanford Bishop in November and win the seat in the U.S. House of Representative from Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District.
“It seemed fair to me that disabled veterans should have any student loans immediately discharged with an executive order by President Trump,” said Johnson. “I brought together all the parties involved in making this decision – the VA, the Department of Justice and the White House. The VA did not want to use an executive order; instead, the VA wanted to control the process and evaluate each case one by one.
“It was the typical Washington bureaucracy at work by taking something very straight forward and complicating it to the point that nothing happens. The VA wanted to protect more than 400 administrative jobs instead of doing what is best for the veteran.
“I convinced the White House that my way was the right way. I wrote the executive order and President Trump signed it, ordering the VA to back down. My team and I delivered hundreds of millions of dollars for veterans. That is the kind of work I will do when the voters of the 2nd Congressional District send me to Washington.”
One thing Johnson will do is establish a new VA clinic in South Columbus as he advocates nationally for a higher standard of excellence at all VA hospitals and clinics.
“In March, I was challenged at the Muscogee County Republican Party meeting to bring a new VA clinic to South Columbus,” said Johnson. “I did my research and talked to veterans in the district and looked at the demographics of the veterans in the county. We have an excellent VA clinic in North Columbus, but veterans in South Columbus are underserved.”
Johnson was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army after graduating from college. He served on active duty in Texas, Alaska and Georgia. His initial branch assignment was the Army Medical Service Corps. Johnson served in Alaska as an officer under then Colonel Norman Schwarzkopf.
After Alaska, Johnson was stationed at Fort McPherson in Atlanta, serving under Gen. Colin Powell. Powell, like Johnson, was commissioned through the Army ROTC program. Johnson continued to be active in the U.S. Army Reserve after serving four years on active duty.
Another issue that Johnson will tackle in Washington is the story of a veteran who served as part of an Air Force unit in Vietnam, where he flew countless, dangerous air missions. When he returned home, he discovered that he did not get the same benefits as those who served on the ground in Vietnam.
“The VA said the reason he did not get the same benefits as the infantry was because his foot never touched the ground in combat,” said Johnson. “I will work to fix that when I get to Washington.
“We have thousands of veterans in Macon, Columbus, Albany and the 30 counties in the 2nd Congressional District, and as a veteran, being their voice in Washington will be a top priority for me,” Johnson said.