Senator Lee Zeldin Calls for Resignation of Sharon Helman

Press Release

Senator and Army Reserve Major Lee Zeldin, Republican and Conservative Party candidate for Congress in New York's First Congressional District, today called for the resignation of former Phoenix VA Administrator, Sharon Helman.

As many as 40 Veterans allegedly died while waiting for treatment at the Phoenix VA hospital. News of the deaths sparked immediate public outrage around the country and led to the resignation of former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. Sharon Helman, the former Phoenix VA Administrator, was placed on leave after it was learned her facility was manipulating patient wait-time records to meet performance benchmarks. While the termination process has begun, Sharon Helman continues to collect a $169,000 taxpayer funded annual salary.

Senator Zeldin said, "It's troubling to learn that the people directly involved in this scandal are on paid leave during the lengthy termination process. The President and our VA system continue to fail veterans on many fronts."

On May 21, in the midst of the VA scandal, President Obama vowed to hold those responsible after the heinous facts surfaced that numerous veterans died while waiting for treatment at VA hospitals. President Obama stated, "Anybody found to have manipulated or falsified records at VA facilities has to be held accountable."

Congressman Bishop, who remained silent when Shinseki was being called to resign, has remained silent yet again as Helman continues to be paid, despite her alleged involvement in the horrific scandal.

Senator Zeldin concluded, "Those responsible for this dereliction of duty should be held responsible, and not rewarded with paychecks throughout a lengthy termination process. This is a slap in the face to all veterans. President Obama and Congressman Bishop should demand the resignation of Sharon Helman, instead of looking the other way."

Senator Lee Zeldin is also a Major in the Army Reserves. He served in Iraq as an Army paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division.

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