After facing a Congressional subpoena and calls for his resignation, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki has ordered an audit of some VA hospitals which have become embroiled in scandal.
The criticism stems from a veterans hospital in Phoenix which allegedly concealed extraordinarily long wait times in an effort to improve their performance record. At least 40 veteran's deaths are being blamed on the hospital's delays in care, and other hospitals around the country are now facing similar accusations. (Via KNXV, CNN)
The House Veterans Affairs panel voted Thursday to subpoena emails and documents from Shinseki related to the Phoenix scandal, decrying weeks of stonewalling from the department. Shinseki is also scheduled to testify before a Senate panel next Thursday. (Via C-SPAN)
In response, Shinseki has suspended some of the top VA officials in Phoenix, and announced an investigation into the conduct of the agency's medical centers across the country.
SHINSEKI: "All of this makes me angry. ... I didn't come here to watch things happen this way, I came here to make things better." (Via CBS)
The allegations have lead some members of Congress to pressure Shinseki to resign. "The president needs to find a new leader to lead this organization out of the wilderness." (Via Fox News)
The American Legion also issued a rare call for Shinseki's resignation. "These are just unacceptable things that have come about that lead us to this decision." (Via NBC)
But Shinseki does have his defenders — among them House Speaker John Boehner, who told reporters giving Shinseki the axe won't solve anything.
"I don't believe that changing someone at the top is going to actually get to the solutions that many of us our looking for." (Via MSNBC)
Shinseki has so far resisted calls for his resignation, saying he serves at the pleasure of the president, and still has more work to do in his current role.
