WASHINGTON – Congressman Richard Hanna is joining the ranks of federal legislators calling for the resignation of General Eric Shinseki, United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

In a statement, Hanna said, “As a nation, we should be extremely grateful to General Shinseki for his selfless service in uniform to the United States of America. He is a decorated Vietnam War veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart and other honors for his valor. Every American owes him a great deal of respect.

“Nonetheless, a failure of leadership and accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs has hurt our veterans in appalling ways,” he added. “It is unacceptable. Our nation and its heroes would be best served by new leadership at the top of the VA. Clearly this problem goes beyond personnel, and I will continue to support aggressive legislative reforms and oversight to ensure that the VA has all the resources necessary to give our veterans the care they have so dearly earned.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs is currently under scrutiny following the investigation of extremely long wait times for veterans at health care facilities. Allegations were further complicated Wednesday with a report accusing the department of abuses of its waiting lists to cover up the issue.