Flores Statement on the Resignation of VA Secretary Shinseki

Statement

Congressman Bill Flores (R-Texas) issued the following statement regarding the resignation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki:

"I would like to thank Secretary Shinseki for his service to our nation. Unfortunately, the VA continues to enable a culture that fails to provide the proper health care and benefit services for America's veterans. I do feel that Secretary Shinseki is not the sole person to blame for the department's failures; President Obama neglected to provide the secretary with the tools needed for success, such as the recently House passed VA Management Accountability Act. It is a shame that the men and women that have sacrificed so much for our country are paying the price for the systematic incompetence of the executive branch.

"Now that the Department of Veterans Affairs will be under new leadership, it is my hope that that the new secretary will adopt the style of former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who aggressively worked to solve bureaucratic problems by making necessary changes and firing individuals who failed to perform. Additionally, our veterans deserve to know that their health care and benefits are in capable hands with someone that is willing to change the current culture. It must be made clear that mismanagement will no longer be tolerated. Longer term, we need to look at new models of delivery services to veterans in a manner that focuses on veterans first and minimizes bureaucracy."

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