WASHINGTON (AP) — The top Republican and Democrat in the House aren’t ready to join other members of Congress who say Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki (shin-SEHK’-ee) should resign.
House Speaker John Boehner says he’s reserving judgment about the embattled secretary, while Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says she has great respect for Shinseki and firing him would reward those who misled him.
Boehner says even if Shinseki were to step down, that wouldn’t get to the bottom of the problems for the VA’s troubled health care system. The Ohio Republican says President Barack Obama needs to step up and show leadership on the issue.
The comments come a day after a watchdog’s report found systemic problems at the VA nationwide. The report say about 1,700 veterans were “at risk of being lost or forgotten” after being kept off the official waiting list at the Phoenix VA hospital.
Pelosi calls the findings “shameful” and “unacceptable.”
%@AP Links
167-a-04-(House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, at news conference)-“some real leadership”-House Speaker John Boehner says the president needs to address the VA crisis. (29 May 2014)
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166-a-03-(House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, at news conference)-“be held accountable”-House Speaker John Boehner says the buck stops at the president’s desk. (29 May 2014)
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161-a-11-(House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, at news conference)-“getting is no”-House Speaker John Boehner says he doesn’t see a benefit if VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resigns. (29 May 2014)
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