Nugent Statement on Resignation of VA Sec Shinseki

(WASHINGTON, DC) Following the announcement of Secretary Shinseki's resignation, Rep. Rich Nugent (FL-11) issued the following statement:

“Weeks ago, as the scope of the VA scandal became clear, I made the decision to call for Secretary Shinseki’s resignation.  And while many of my colleagues waited for the results from the Inspector General Report, I think we all knew this was coming.  As I said at the time, as a disabled veteran himself, I don’t doubt Secretary Shinseki’s dedication to the troops. His service to this country is beyond reproach and I sincerely thank him for that.  But when the mission is this important and the results fall so far short of what the American people should expect, I don’t think there is any excuse left.  General Shinseki was at the helm of the VA for five years and the problems were known to one degree or another when he assumed the office.  Five years is more than long enough to change the culture of complacency within the VA and he failed to do that.   

“While many have tried to characterize the problems at the VA as a lack of sufficient funding, Congress has routinely met or exceeded the budget request from the President.  In the last ten years alone, the VA's budget has grown from $63.8 billion to over $134 billion.  And if they needed more funding, all the Secretary needed to do was ask.   If they didn’t have the resources necessary in Arizona and elsewhere, they should’ve spoken up.  But they didn’t speak up.  Instead, the VA stuck these veterans names in a drawer while they slowly died from treatable conditions and then went on to try and collect bonuses for their trouble.  So, to try and excuse the wrongful deaths of our nation’s veterans in this way is just plain offensive on the face of it.  And to be honest, it angers me that so many in Congress and in the media keep parroting these blatantly misleading, irresponsible and undignified excuses. 

“The House overwhelmingly passed legislation (H.R. 4031 - The VA Management Accountability Act) that will make it possible to demote or fire managers at the VA who are not performing.  While this standard does not apply to the rest of the federal government, it does apply to private companies and local government agencies all across the country.  The mission at the VA is far too important to tolerate this kind of complacency, mismanagement, and abuse.  The Senate needs to stop making excuses and take the necessary steps to fix the problem.  Obviously, the problem at the VA isn’t going to fix itself.”

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