Sanders Concedes We ‘Should Have Acted Sooner’ To Fix Veterans Affairs

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., right, speaks with host Anderson Cooper during a Democratic primary town hall sponsored by CNN, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, in Derry, N.H. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders conceded Wednesday that the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee “should have acted sooner” to fix the department.

During a televised town hall in New Hampshire, CNN host Anderson Cooper asked Sanders why it took so long to start fixing Veterans Affairs after there were multiple inspector general reports of problems plaguing the department.

“We should have acted sooner,” Sanders said. “We should have known what was going on in Phoenix. Those long waiting lines and the lies that some administrators were telling us.”

Sanders said that the Veterans Affairs committee, which he served on for eight years and chaired for two years, made other advancements in other areas, including those to fight homelessness and a G.I.-related bill.

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