Lujan Grisham Calls for VA Secretary's Resignation; Plans for Veterans Town Hall

Press Release

U.S. Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham today called on Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign and make way for new leadership to transform the VA System so that it better meets the needs of veterans.

"Secretary Shinseki is a respected and patriotic General who has honorably served his country," Rep. Lujan Grisham said. "But it's time for a change at the VA. We need aggressive, new leadership that will shake up the culture within the VA system. We need a whole new VA system that puts the personal care for veterans above all else."

Rep. Lujan Grisham attended a briefing last week with the interim director of the Albuquerque VA, at which she raised several concerns about the need for an independent, outside investigation of the VA system. Since then, the VA released a preliminary report that found at least 1,700 veterans were not included on a waiting list at the Phoenix VA facility.

"Those veterans in Phoenix were ignored, and significant allegations are still being reviewed," Rep. Lujan Grisham said. "We can't wait around for more reviews. We need an outside investigation into Albuquerque's VA facility, and we need new leadership in Washington to rebuild the VA system."

Rep. Lujan Grisham will hold a Veterans Town Hall meeting in Albuquerque on Saturday, June 7. She wants to hear directly from veterans about their experiences with the VA, and their ideas for reforming the system.

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