Mitt Romney: VA Secretary Shinseki Must Go

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Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said Wednesday that Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki “needs to be removed.”

“The president needs to take responsibility for his failure, and in the case of Gen. Shinseki, he needs to be removed,” Romney said on Fox News’ “The Kelly File.” “He either should resign or he should be replaced by the president.”

“We need to have someone new who will take responsibility for fixing what has been an unbelievable mess and a tragedy for so many people,” he added.

Asked to clarify whether he was calling on Shinseki to step down or be fired, Romney said “absolutely.”

Romney joins a number of lawmakers who called for Shinseki’s resignation the day the VA’s internal watchdog issued a report that found systemic issues with patients’ access to care, including an average wait time of 115 days for veterans’ first appointments at a Phoenix VA facility.

Romney pointed out that the VA system has no competitors and thus no incentive to improve their quality of care. He suggested veterans ought to be given vouchers so they have the option to be treated in private hospitals as well.

“This is just inexecusable for the people who’ve served our country to have been so poorly served by this administration and, frankly, by prior administrations as well,” he said.

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