Shinseki resignation earns bipartisan praise
On Friday, after President Obama accepted the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, Arizona’s representatives were for the most part, gracious for his service, while calling for reforms. Only one; Representative Krysten Sinema used the event to campaign.
Sinema issued a statement saying that Shinseki’s resignation and the “firing of the leadership of the Phoenix VA, is the right move.” She made a campaign promise to “push until these veterans have immediate access to care, and all Arizona veterans receive the care and benefits they have earned.”
Jeff Flake issued no formal statement, He tweeted his statement, “President has accepted Sec. Shinseki’s resignation. Good move. Now let’s fix the problems. #VA.”
Retiring Congressman Pastor did not address issue with a formal statement, Facebook post, or Tweet.
Representative Barber:
“Secretary Shinseki’s resignation this morning was an important step in restoring our veterans’ and the nation’s trust in the Veterans Administration. I respect Secretary Shinseki’s service to our country. His decision today will allow us to move forward with the necessary top-to-bottom overhaul of the Veterans Health Administration’s systems and practices.
We must work together to find solutions to the problems facing the VA, to make sure nothing like this ever happens again, and that we provide the best care for our veterans when they need it.”
Representative Franks:
“Resignations of this sort are never pleasant. They are certainly not something I take any delight in – and this one is made even more difficult by the fact that General Shinseki has served his country for decades with great valor.
While I believe this decision was warranted, we mustn’t make the mistake of “missing the forest for the trees” by believing a few surface-level changes will be sufficient to remedy what is a thoroughly systemic problem. The Veterans Affairs Department is broken at nearly every level and must be fundamentally overhauled so that the men and women who are too often broken by the sacrifices they made on the battlefield may receive care befitting American heroes.
We would also be well-advised to consider how much trust we have in the federal government to attempt to oversee healthcare for the country’s entire population when it has so utterly failed to care for the roughly 21 million veterans served by the VA. I fear these issues may only be a microcosm of what is to come.”
Representative Gosar:
“President Obama ostensibly forced Secretary Shinseki to resign over the scandals and systemic failures at the Veterans Administration. I appreciate the President and Secretary Shinseki heeding my call and those of my colleagues to resign.
But I say accountability ends at the President’s feet. As the sign on President Harry Truman’s desk in the Oval Office stated, “The buck stops here.” The resignation of Secretary Shinseki sends the right message that there has to be accountability, but more is needed. The problems must be addressed and the President needs to step up and set a better example of leadership.
Regarding General Shinseki, I would hope that he be denied any benefits or pensions stemming from his tenure as Secretary, and only be afforded those from his military service. The same goes for those employees found to be complicit in these scandals. Further, after the VA Inspector General and the House Veterans Affairs Committee reports are complete, I believe we will likely need to initiate civil and criminal proceedings against those in the VA who are deemed responsible for this negligence and malfeasance.”
Representative Grijalva:
“Doing right by our veterans will take more than a resignation. The problems at Veterans Affairs are systemic, and can only be solved with significant reforms. It’s time to ensure that the VA has the staff and funding it needs to fulfill our commitments to each and every veteran.”
Representative Kirkpatrick:
“General Shinseki is a great man who has served our country with honor and bravery, but accountability and leadership start at the top. I understand his decision to resign, but I am not satisfied it will solve problems that have infected the VA system for at least a decade. VA employees in Phoenix and elsewhere who knew about or took part in wrongdoing should lose their jobs. This is why I voted for the VA Accountability Act, which gives the secretary the ability to fire those who have been cooking the books and handing out bonuses. I also support a Justice Department investigation into any criminal wrongdoing. The political world focused almost entirely on Secretary Shinseki in recent weeks, and this became a great distraction. So today, let’s turn our focus back where it belongs: on veterans and their care. I will only be satisfied when our veterans are satisfied.”
Representative Salmon:
“Two days ago, in the wake of the IG report which released sickening news, I called on the President to take three immediate steps to resolve this VA scandal. With the resignation of General Shinseki, he has taken that first step. Now the President must continue to show leadership by opening a criminal investigation to determine how these atrocities happened. Lastly, the President must turn his immediate attention to working with Congress in a bipartisan manner to reform the VA healthcare system and ensure our veterans who fought for us receive the care we promised them.”
Representative Schweikert:
“I hope this resignation is a result of the President’s dedication to finding the truth about the state of our VA system. Our Veterans and the VA need a Secretary that will take immediate action to reform the broken system.
I look forward to working with the next Secretary, whoever that may be, to ensure our veterans are receiving timely and proper care.”
Senator John McCain:
“Secretary Shinseki’s decision to resign his post was the right move at this time.
“However, I was disturbed that in his remarks, President Obama appeared to believe that the only real problem at the VA is a scheduling issue, which is a fundamental misreading of the breadth and depth of the situation there.
“The president campaigned in 2008 and 2012 on the promise of improving care for our veterans, but it is now obvious that his stewardship of the VA has been a failure.
“New leadership at the VA is just the first step in what must be a significant, sustained effort by President Obama to fix its systemic problems.
“The President must join with Congress to support legislation we will introduce next week to strengthen the ability of VA administrators to hire and fire those charged with providing care and, most importantly, give far greater flexibility to veterans to get the care they need and deserve, where and when they want it.
“Restoring veterans’ trust and confidence in the wake of this scandal will require much more from President Obama, including his sustained attention and hands-on leadership, which has been in too-short supply in recent weeks.”