Democratic Congressman David Scott chided the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Obama Administration on the House floor Wednesday afternoon.
The Democrat from Georgia heatedly criticized the administration's failure to provide prompt and adequate healthcare to our nations heroes.
Scott also took President Obama to task over statements made in his press conference addressing the controversy earlier in the day.
Scott said “I listened to the President today, and I was very disappointed with President Obama today,”
“There was no urgency. Mr. President, we need urgency, we need you to roll up our sleeves and get into these hospitals!”
Rep. David Scott: Thank you very much mister speaker. The issue here before us on this bill and first let me say that I’m a proud co-sponsor of this bill to replace and be able to fire people. But the problem is the first person we need to fire is the Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs Mr. Shinseki himself. Now we respect him, we respect his sacrifice for this country and everything else but the buck starts at the top. Here are the facts, five thousand, six hundred veterans are committing suicide every year. That is almost twenty every day, under his watch, under his watch at my own hospital in Atlanta four of our soldiers committed suicide in the hospital. And the very Inspector General of the VA laid the blame directly at the foot of the VA administration for the lack of management, for the death of these soldiers. And when Chairman Miller and I went down and visited them we asked is there one more, is there any more that’s committed suicide, ‘no, there’s been no more’ and they told a damn lie. Because the very next day it was exposed that there was another soldier that committed suicide and they covered it up. This has been a pattern that has been going on ever since General Shinseki has been the Chairman there. I respect his sacrifice, I respect what he did but it’s under his watch that we are in this situation in the hospital. Out in the western part of this country, where the Washington Post has accurately reported that forty of our soldiers lost their lives, died because they couldn’t get service. Our veterans are the heart and soul of this country. They are precious and we must not turn our backs on them. I listened to the President today and I was very disappointed with President Obama today. There was no urgency, Mr. President we need urgency. We need you to roll up our sleeves and get into these hospitals. We need you to set a pattern, if the VA hospitals can’t handle it let’s get partnerships, can I get another minute, let’s get partnerships (crosstalk)
(crosstalk)
God bless you because there are some things I want to say. Reports are out that the taxpayers are going to have to pay or have paid one billion dollars for medical malpractice of a reputable news organization cox media, WSB television down in Atlanta went all over this country, one billion dollars the taxpayers are paying because of the VA cut off the wrong arm, cut off the wrong leg, the wrong tentacle, the wrong kidney. Let me tell you all something folks, time that’s what I so disturbed about the President, we don’t have time for any more investigations. The reports are in. Jesus Christ himself said there is no greater sacrifice than to give your life for your friend. Our soldiers have given their lives on the battlefield for them (crosstalk) We need to give our lives up here and give our veterans the respect they deserve
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