Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/321711
ByJuliePace The Associated Press WASHINGTON Beset by growing evidence of patient delays and cover-ups, embat- tled Veterans Affairs Secre- tary Eric Shinseki resigned from President Barack Obama's Cabinet Friday, taking the blame for what he decried as a "lack of integ- rity" in the sprawling health care system for the nation's military veterans. Obama, under mounting pressure to act from fellow Democrats who are worried about political fallout in the fall elections, praised the re- tired four-star general and said he accepted his resig- nation with "considerable re- gret." But the president, too, focused on increasingly trou- bling allegations of treat- ment delays and preventable deaths at veterans hospitals around the country. Emerging from an Oval Office meeting with Shin- seki, a stone-faced Obama said the secretary himself acknowledged he had be- come a distraction as the administration moves to ad- dress the VA's troubles, and the president agreed with him. "We don't have time for distractions," Obama said. "We need to fix the problem." One of Shinseki's last acts as secretary was to hand the president an internal ac- counting that underscored just how big the problems have become. It showed that in some cases, VA schedul- ers have been pressured to fake information for reports to make waiting times for medical appointments look more favorable. "It is totally unaccept- able," Obama said. "Our vets deserve the best. They've earned it." The president appointed Sloan Gibson, the No. 2 at the Veterans Affairs Depart- ment, as temporary secre- tary as the search for a per- manent successor began. Obama also asked Rob Na- bors, a top White House aide who has been dispatched to the VA to oversee a broad re- view, to stay for the time be- ing. Gibson, who has been Shinseki's deputy for about three months, was formerly president and chief execu- tive officer of the USO, the nonprofit organization that provides programs and ser- vices to U.S. troops and their families. Gibson is the son of an Army Air Corpsman who served in World War II and grandson of a World War I Army infantryman. Republicans in Congress said the shake-up wasn't enough to solve problems at an agency that has been struggling to keep up with a huge demand for its ser- vices — some 9 million en- rolled now compared to 8 million in 2008. The influx comes from returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, aging Vietnam War vets who now have more health problems, a move by Con- gress to expand the number of those eligible for care and the migration of veterans to the VA during the last reces- sion after they lost their jobs or switched to the VA when their private insurance be- came more expensive. "One personnel change cannot be used as an ex- cuse to paper over a sys- temic problem," said House Speaker John Boehner, R- Ohio, who had held off in calling for Shinseki's res- ignation. "Our veterans de- serve better. We'll hold the president accountable until he makes things right." The massive bureaucracy at the VA has come under in- tense scrutiny over the past month, following allegations that 40 patients died while awaiting care at a Phoenix hospital where employees kept a secret waiting list to cover up delays. On Wednes- day, the VA inspector gen- eral reported that 1,700 vet- erans seeking treatment at the Phoenix facility were at risk of being "forgotten or lost." After that scathing re- port, a cascade of Democrats on the ballot in the fall mid- term elections joined dozens of Republicans in calling for Shinseki to step down. Administration officials said the combined pres- sure of the VA investiga- tor's troubling findings and the extreme focus on Shin- seki's status led Obama to conclude that the secretary would probably need to re- sign. But they said the pres- ident wanted to first allow Shinseki an opportunity to submit his own report to the White House, set in mo- tion a series of firings in the agency, and speak to veter- ans at a long-planned ap- pearance Friday morning. In his speech to the Na- tional Coalition for Home- less Veterans, Shinseki said, "I extend an apology to the people whom I care most deeply about — that's the veterans of this great coun- try — to their families and loved ones, who I have been honored to serve for over five years now. It's the calling of a lifetime." The 71-year-old Shinseki said he had been "too trust- ing of some" in the VA sys- tem. He then headed to the White House to offer his resignation to the president during a 30-minute meeting. Obama appeared to take no comfort in ousting Shin- seki, a disabled Vietnam veteran and former Army chief of staff who has over- seen the VA since the start of the Obama presidency. He called him "a good per- son who's done exemplary work on our behalf." VETERANS AFFAIRS Shinseki resigns amid vets' health care problems CHARLESDHARAPAK—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki pauses as he speaks at a meeting of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans on Friday in Washington. By Donna Cassata The Associated Press WASHINGTON The chair- man of the House Over- sight committee on Friday released Secretary of State John Kerry from his obliga- tion to testify next month about the deadly Benghazi attack, allowing a newly formed select committee to move forward in questioning the top diplomat. In a swipe at a member of President Barack Obama's Cabinet, Rep. Darrell Issa ac- cused Kerry of trying to use his June 12 appearance be- fore the oversight panel as an excuse to avoid testifying be- foretheselectHousecommit- tee investigating the Sept. 11, 2012, assault on the Libyan outpost. TheStateDepartmenthad said last week that the secre- tary would testify before Is- sa'spanelbutthattheappear- ance"wouldremoveanyneed forthesecretarytoappearbe- fore the select committee to answeradditionalquestions." The California Republican said he had no choice but to reassess. "It's been disappointing to watch a long-serving for- mer senator, like Secretary Kerry, squirm his way to what I'm doing today — re- leasing him from the upcom- ing hearing commitment he made only after we issued him a subpoena," Issa said in a statement. Issa had twice subpoenaed Kerry to testify about emails and other documents that the Obama administration has provided Congress about the attack. Four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador ChrisStevens,werekilled.Af- ter weeks of back and forth, Kerry had told the panel he could testify next month, and Issa agreed. State Department spokes- womanJenPsakitoldreport- ers on Friday that officials were "mystified" by Issa's de- cision as well as his criticism that Kerry has obstructed the probe. It's "hard to see how that's accurate when we were prepared to appear," Psaki said. Republicans have accused the administration of mislead- ingtheAmericanpeopleabout theattack,playingdownater- ror attack in the weeks before the 2012 presidential election, and then stonewalling con- gressional investigators. WASHINGTON Issa releases Kerry from Benghazi testimony By Josh Lederman The Associated Press WASHINGTON President Barack Obama launched a show of support Friday for new emissions rules for power plants, putting the weight of the White House behind the govern- ment's controversial strat- egy for combating climate change. Three days before his administration is set to un- veil the first carbon dioxide limits on existing plants, Obama paid a surprise visit to a children's hos- pital and met with young asthma patients, hoping to call attention to the health effects of air pollution. He also talked up the need to curb carbon pollution dur- ing a hurricane prepared- ness briefing at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters. "The changes we're see- ing in our climate means that, unfortunately, storms like Sandy could end up being more common and more devastating," Obama said, invoking the deadly 2012 superstorm that's be- come a rallying cry for cli- mate activists. The pair of appearances kicked off a public cam- paign by the president to rally Americans behind groundbreaking power plant rules that have al- ready drawn scorn from the energy industry, busi- ness groups and even some Democrats from oil-depen- dent states. Obama's visit with young asthmatics at the Children's National Med- ical Center was closed to reporters, but the White House said while at the hospital, Obama was also taping his weekly radio and Internet address, which spotlights the carbon rules and will be released Satur- day. Full details about the proposal won't come until Monday, when Environ- mental Protection Agency Administrator Gina Mc- Carthy will formally an- nounce the rules during a speech at her agency's headquarters. Obama will also dis- cuss the rules with public health leaders on a con- ference call hosted by the American Lung Associa- tion and other groups. The centerpiece of Obama's plan to fight cli- mate change without go- ing through Congress, the rules seek to limit car- bon emissions from power plants, which form the largest single source of heat-trapping greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. Administration officials say the rules will give states reduction goals, then allow flexibility for states to meet those stan- dards through an array of means and offsets. But the proposal has al- ready prompted groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to argue the emissions limits will cost jobs, drive up electricity prices and shutter power plants across the country. ENVIRONMENT Obama launches push on power plant rules CAROLYN KASTER — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS President Barack Obama speaks at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington on Friday during a hurricane preparedness meeting. MakeLife 78 Belle Mill Road, Red Bluff, CA (530) 527-6166 GAUMER'S Sparkle Brighten your graduate's day with a tasteful touch of glamour from our fine jewelry collection. Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 7 A