Two candidates running for the 6th District congressional seat applauded Eric Shinseki, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, for resigning yesterday in the wake of the ongoing scandal involving veterans hospitals across the country.
Wakefield Republican Richard Tisei, who was the only candidate among the five to call for Shinseki’s resignation, said in a statement that Shinseki had again proved himself a “patriot” by “putting veterans first.”
“New leadership was needed to fix systemic flaws that have become so glaringly apparent over the past few weeks,” Tisei said. “Congress must keep a closer eye on the VA going forward to ensure veterans are getting the care they deserve.”
Tisei also renewed his earlier call for an examination of federal whistleblower protection laws, which he said “should have allowed these revelations to be brought to light earlier.”
Salem Democrat Seth Moulton, an Iraq war veteran, also supported Shinseki’s decision, and said he respected his “long and honorable service to our country.”
“He had the courage to push back against the Iraq war plans of top officials at the Pentagon, and now he’s shown the courage to accept responsibility and accountability for the major problems at VA hospitals across the nation,” Moulton said in a statement. “I hope the acting secretary will act swiftly to fix the systemic problems at the VA, and I look forward to working with him to ensure veterans receive the very best care.”
Moulton had originally responded to the scandal by releasing a three-point plan for improving “how we treat our veterans,” and suggested that Congress allocate funding specifically to eliminate backlogs at the VA.
Not everybody was pleased with Shinseki’s resignation. Marisa DeFranco, a Democrat and Middleton attorney, was “saddened” by the resignation, according to a press release.
“I am happy that the pundits can now stop focusing on the ‘should he stay or should he go’ talking point, and get on to the real business of making sure they stay on top of what is really going on inside the VA on a daily basis,” she said.
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