WASHINGTON, May 5 – Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after the American Legion called for the resignation of Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki:  

“Serious allegations have been made regarding waiting lists at the Phoenix VA. Secretary Shinseki has done the right thing by calling for an immediate investigation of those allegations by the independent Office of Inspector General. I have promised to hold hearings on this issue as soon as we have the facts. While it might be temporarily satisfying to call for firing someone, it doesn’t get us any closer to the truth or solve problems that may exist.

“In the midst of all this, I know that there are hundreds of thousands of VA employees in Vermont and throughout this country who are doing an excellent job taking care of the men and women who put their lives on the line to defend this country.”