In The News

The Scioto Valley’s congressional delegation reacted swiftly to news of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki’s resignation Friday.

U.S. Reps. Brad Wenstrup and Steve Stivers, both veterans, called the resignation a good first step but also said changes need to occur from the top down.

Wenstrup, a Cincinnati-area Republican and Iraq war veteran, said President Barack Obama should “take personal responsibilty in fixing this problem” and called for the next VA chief to “come from outside the Department of Veterans Affairs.”

“Service to our veterans, not job security for bureaucrats, must be the priority,” Wenstrup said, adding that he knows acting Secretary Sloan Gibson personally and is encouraged by his emergence as the interim head of the VA.

Stivers, an Upper Arlington Republican with a 28-year career in the Ohio National Guard, called on the next VA secretary to “have the proper authority to fire all those responsible for this crisis as well as address the outrageous backlog.”

He also said he was considering introducing a bill to allow veterans to receive health care at local hospitals instead of waiting to be seen at a VA facility.

Meanwhile, Sens. Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown also weighed in.

Brown, a Democrat, thanked Shinseki for his service but also said the inspector general’s report revealed many flaws that must be fixed.

Portman, a Republican, pointed to the system as the problem, not just the person running it.

“New leadership and a fresh set of eyes can often be helpful in solving problems like the ones plaguing the VA,” Portman stated. “That said, I think it’s important we remember that this is a systemic problem throughout the VA and that simply replacing the Secretary — while necessary — is in no way sufficient to begin to eliminate the rot that has plagued veterans’ health care."

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