Senator Joni Ernst.
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, is continuing to push for the resignation or removal of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald.
She first called for McDonald’s resignation after he compared the wait at VA hospitals for veterans to the wait for rides at Disneyland. “He is clearly completely oblivious to the pain and suffering our veterans are going through — made worse by the VA’s complete incompetence,” Ernst says.
Iowa’s other U.S. Senator, Chuck Grassley says removing McDonald now would not do any good with just months remaining in the president’s administration. “This is an area where Senator Grassley and I will disagree,” Ernst says. “I believe that a person such as Secretary Robert McDonald at the helm of an agency — when he can’t take the very serious nature to heart and actually do the right thing for our veterans — when he is making fun of the wait lines and the fact that so many of our veterans are suffering as they are waiting for proper treatment and care at the VA, that person needs to be removed.”
Ernst, who is a veteran, says a new perspective at the top of the VA would help. “Anybody who leads an organization will effectively control that organization by their attitude. And the supervisors, the managers below that leader, take on that attitude,” Ernst says. She says the bad influence of McDonald needs to be removed.
“He is like a Cancer. And Cancer needs to go. So, Robert McDonald needs to go,” Ernst says. “We can certainly find another effective leader who will inspire these managers and supervisors to do the right thing for our veterans.” Ernst says McDonald should resign or the president should fire him.