Senate’s first female combat vet: VA secretary must resign

Sen. Joni Ernst (Iowa), the Senate’s first female combat veteran, is demanding Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald resign after comparing wait times for medical treatment to lines at Disney parks.

“Any government agency or organization takes on the attitude of their leadership, and Secretary McDonald has been too willing to look the other way. We simply cannot allow the misconduct and poor care to continue without repercussions. That’s why today, I am calling for Secretary McDonald’s resignation immediately,” Ernst said in a statement.

Ernst’s comments are the latest in a growing backlash against McDonald.

Speaking to reporters Monday at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast about long wait times for veterans to get appointments and receive treatment from the VA, he said: “When you go to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line? … What’s important is what’s your satisfaction with the experience.”

GOP lawmakers have called the remarks offensive and demanded that he apologize. Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and David Vitter (R-La.) are also calling on him to step down.

McDonald got a step closer to apologizing on Tuesday afternoon, saying in a statement he “deeply” regrets if veterans were offended by his remarks.

“If my comments Monday led any veterans to believe that I, or the dedicated workforce I am privileged to lead, don’t take that noble mission seriously, I deeply regret that,” he said. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

But, so far, that statement has done little to stem the flow of public criticism.

Ernst added Tuesday that McDonald’s remarks amount to “making fun of the problem” instead of focusing on reducing wait times.

The VA has been under fire since allegations in 2014 that staffers in dozens of facilities were manipulating data to downplay how long veterans were waiting for appointments.

Ernst, considered a rising star of the Republican Party, is considered by some to be a potential vice presidential pick for presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.