Another local member of Congress has joined those calling for Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign.
Rep. Joe Wilson, the chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, sent a letter this week to President Obama requesting that Shinseki be removed immediately.
The letter was mailed in response to an interim report issued Wednesday by the VA’s inspector general. It released preliminary findings of an investigation into allegations of secret waiting lists and falsified records at the Phoenix VA hospital and whether they are a departmentwide problem.
The probe confirmed the accusations and found that such problems are “systemic” throughout the VA. Investigators said they are now looking into 42 medical facilities in connection with health care delays, up sharply from 26 last week and 10 the week before that.
“The Administration’s inability to provide services to our veterans is inexcusable,” said Wilson, a South Carolina Republican who represents much of the Aiken area, said in a statement. “When President Obama campaigned for the White House, he claimed a desire to help our heroes receive the care they deserve and earned while fighting for our freedoms. Sadly, throughout the last few years the Department of Veterans Affairs has become riddled with scandal, neglect, and incompetence under Secretary Eric Shinseki’s mismanagement. The only way to move forward is to appoint a new Secretary in hopes of restoring faith to our veterans, military families, and the American people.”