GBFan
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2013
- Messages
- 1,455
President Obama touted the newly passed Veterans Affairs reform bill Thursday as he signed the measure into law and lamented the scandal that triggered it.
But a review of records by Fox News shows the president – despite the urgency he placed publicly on the crisis – only met one-on-one with then-VA Secretary Eric Shinseki once during the scandal.
The records, provided through a Freedom of Information Act request, showed they met on May 30, the day Shinseki resigned.
VA records show Shinseki also attended Cabinet meetings on Jan. 14 and Jan. 22.
The revelation comes as lawmakers, on the heels of passing the bill that Obama signed Thursday, press the president to commit his administration to fixing the department.
“I am pleased President Obama has finally recognized what we have been telling administration officials for years: that VA’s widespread and systemic lack of accountability is jeopardizing the health of veterans and contributing to all of the department’s most pressing problems,” Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said in a statement. “But I sincerely hope the president views this event as more than just a photo-op or speaking engagement.
“Instead, it should serve as a wakeup call. … In order to prevent history from repeating itself, President Obama must become personally involved in solving VA’s many problems.”
But a review of records by Fox News shows the president – despite the urgency he placed publicly on the crisis – only met one-on-one with then-VA Secretary Eric Shinseki once during the scandal.
The records, provided through a Freedom of Information Act request, showed they met on May 30, the day Shinseki resigned.
VA records show Shinseki also attended Cabinet meetings on Jan. 14 and Jan. 22.
The revelation comes as lawmakers, on the heels of passing the bill that Obama signed Thursday, press the president to commit his administration to fixing the department.
“I am pleased President Obama has finally recognized what we have been telling administration officials for years: that VA’s widespread and systemic lack of accountability is jeopardizing the health of veterans and contributing to all of the department’s most pressing problems,” Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said in a statement. “But I sincerely hope the president views this event as more than just a photo-op or speaking engagement.
“Instead, it should serve as a wakeup call. … In order to prevent history from repeating itself, President Obama must become personally involved in solving VA’s many problems.”
