Jacqueline Klimas

House calls for action as outcry for Shinseki resignation grows

Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico called for Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign Thursday, becoming the first Senate Democrat not up for re-election this year to do so.

May 29, 2014

VA officials have few answers for Congress on Phoenix scandal

Top VA officials told Congress on Wednesday that they initially thought the secret lists at the Phoenix VA hospital were part of an initiative to reschedule cancelled appointments, not a way to manipulate waiting times.

May 28, 2014

IG report sparks Democratic calls for Shinseki to resign

Senate Democrats on Wednesday joined the growing chorus of veterans groups and lawmakers calling for Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign.

May 28, 2014

1,700 vets not on official wait list at Phoenix VA facility, preliminary report finds

Staff at the Phoenix VA hospital doctored their records, keeping hundreds of veterans off the official waiting lists and ensuring some would never get to see a doctor for treatment, according to a preliminary audit released Wednesday that confirms some of the worst accusations in the burgeoning scandal.

May 28, 2014

Pentagon using change in diagnoses to hide sexual assault cases, critics charge

Lawmakers say they fear the Defense Department has found a new way to drum sexual assault victims out of the service: by diagnosing adjustment disorder and having them discharged from the military.

May 26, 2014

Senate Democrats block bill to give Eric Shinseki more power to fire at Veterans Affairs

Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a bill designed to give Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki more leeway to fire senior department executives he believes are responsible for long wait times and care problems at VA medical facilities.

May 22, 2014

Senate defense bill includes path to close Gitmo

Senators announced Thursday that they included a path to close Guantanamo Bay by transferring detainees to the U.S. in this year's annual defense policy bill.

May 22, 2014

Some want ‘Chaos’ — retired Marine Corps. Gen. James Mattis — to lead VA

While most want to get rid of disorganization within the Veterans Affairs Department, some think the only way to fix the problem is to add a little more "Chaos."

May 22, 2014

McConnell’s Dem challenger Grimes calls for Shinseki to resign

Alison Lundergan Grimes, who is running for Senate in Kentucky, called Thursday for Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign, becoming the latest Democrat to join a growing chorus of GOP lawmakers saying a leadership change is in order.

May 22, 2014

House vets committee approves subpoena for VA witnesses

The House Veterans Affairs Committee unanimously voted to subpoena three top VA officials after they failed to appear before the committee Thursday morning

May 22, 2014

Washington Times event honors Capitol Hill’s veterans

Lawmakers who served in the military before running for Congress said Wednesday that veterans bring a unique perspective to Capitol Hill, helping make sure Washington never forgets the trials of military life and the needs of the troops.

May 21, 2014

Bernie Sanders: ‘Quality of care at VA facilities is quite good’

The chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee defended the majority of VA facilities and caregivers on Wednesday afternoon following a meeting with the White House chief of staff on Capitol Hill.

May 21, 2014

Lawmakers see data deficiency on college sex assaults

Parents should not trust data on sexual assaults at colleges because a low number of reports doesn't necessarily mean that violations aren't occurring, advocates for victims of sexual assault warned Monday.

May 19, 2014

Chris Christie still considering run for president

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Sunday he is still considering running for president, and will make a decision "later."

May 18, 2014

RNC Chair Reince Priebus doesn’t think Hillary Clinton will run for president in 2016

Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said Sunday he doesn't think Hillary Clinton will run for president if she has another month like this one where her record on Benghazi, a possible lingering head injury and her husband's affair with Monica Lewinsky have all been publicly discussed.

May 18, 2014

Obama’s past work for veterans doesn’t placate vets groups on Phoenix VA scandal

As veterans groups questioned why President Obama has been mostly silent on the waitlist scandal at a Phoenix medical center, a top administration aide said Sunday that the president is "madder than hell."

May 18, 2014

Dick Cheney: U.S. seen as weak, untrustworthy around the world

Former Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday that the president's perceived weakness around the world has convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin that now is the time to try to piece some of the Soviet Union back together.

May 18, 2014

Phoenix VA whistleblower: Let Shinseki stay

The whistleblower at a Phoenix Veteran's Affairs facility who exposed an alleged secret wait list said Sunday that the best way to fix the system is to keep Secretary Eric Shinseki onboard, even as many veterans groups are calling for his resignation.

May 18, 2014

Robert Petzel resigns as Veterans Affairs undersecretary amid hospital scandal

A senior official in the Department of Veterans Affairs resigned Friday, just one day after lawmakers called for more accountability in the Phoenix VA wait list scandal.

May 16, 2014

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki is ‘mad as hell’ about allegations

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said Thursday he is "mad as hell" about allegations that at least 40 veterans died while awaiting care on a secret list at the Phoenix VA facility.

May 15, 2014