Murphy Statement On Resignation of Veterans Administration Secretary Nicholson

Press Release

Murphy Statement on Resignation of Veterans Administration Secretary Nicholson

Today, Congressman Chris Murphy (CT-5) released the following statement on the resignation of Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson.

"The Veterans Administration is at a crossroads in its history. Congress has just infused the veterans system with a desperately needed, historic increase in funding, and it needs a vigorous new leader. This agency is charged with one of the most important responsibilities we have as a nation - to care for our aging veteran population and to treat those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. An estimated one-third of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are facing mental health challenges, and thousands more are dealing with traumatic brain and other life altering injuries. And when they need care here at home, veterans are waiting too long for health care and are being treated in outdated facilities.

"With the resignation of Secretary Nicholson, the President has an opportunity to appoint someone who will renew our commitment to our veterans. I hope that the President seizes this opportunity, and I encourage him to sign the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill passed by the House of Representatives last month, which provides historic increases in funding for the agency. We have asked so much of our soldiers, and we must provide them the best medical care while they are abroad, and also when they return home."

Source