By Justin Winegerter  | The Topeka Capital-Journal

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki offered his resignation Friday amid ongoing problems at VA hospitals across the country. Within hours of the news, Kansas’ congressional delegation offered its opinions on the resignation.

In a news release, U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins called Shinseki a scapegoat and pushed for reform of the VA system.

“The President needs to show he is capable of leading. This is not a partisan or political issue; this is an American tragedy that we need to fix,” Jenkins said. “We owe it to our older veterans, we owe it to those who are coming back home today, and we owe it to our future heroes who will serve our country.”

U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp agreed with his Republican colleague in the House, saying in a news release that the resignation isn’t enough.

“This statement, this action, this VA scandal typifies what is replicated across this entire Administration — a culture of incompetence and non-accountability,” Huelskamp said. “We have seen this not only at the VA, but in the failed ObamaCare rollout, the IRS scandal, the Benghazi scandal, and numerous others.”

Huelskamp called on President Barack Obama to create an independent VA reform commission “to institute real veteran-centered changes.”

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, who had called for Shinseki’s resignation, agreed the move “is just the beginning.”

“We now need accountability and true reform within the VA all across the country,” Moran said. “For this to occur, we need a fresh perspective and a leader who is willing to shake up the VA’s bureaucratic culture. I believe this individual should not come from within the current dysfunctional system that is failing our veterans.”