WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today released the following statement about the resignation of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Under Secretary for Benefits Allison Hickey:

“Recent findings by the Inspector General clearly show that the Veterans Benefits Administration desperately needs new leadership. The systemic culture of fraud, waste and gross misuse of taxpayer money by VA executives for their own personal gain ‎while veterans benefits claims have been backlogged for years is appalling and must end. While I thank Under Secretary Hickey for her military service, this is an opportunity for Secretary McDonald to nominate someone who will hold bad actors within the VA accountable and reform the Veterans Benefits Administration. I strongly urge Secretary McDonald to nominate someone as quickly as possible - this is not a position that the VBA can afford to have vacant for long.”

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The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 114th Congress.

Isakson is a veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate VA Committee since he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations representing each branch of the military as well as more than 750,000 veterans.