VA Secretary Eric Shinseki Resigns

Facing a growing outcry over the scandal at Veterans Affairs medical facilities, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki offered his resignation to President Obama on Friday, and the president accepted the offer.

"A few minutes ago, Secretary Shinseki offered me his own resignation," the president said in a statement in the White House briefing room. "With considerable regret, I accepted."

Obama said Shinseki had served the country "honorably," but the two of them agreed that his continued stewardship of the VA would be too great a distraction as the embattled agency seeks to fix its problems.

The president named Sloan Gibson as acting VA secretary until a successor to Shinseki is confirmed by the Senate. Gibson was previously the deputy secretary of veterans affairs.

A preliminary report from the VA's inspector general released Wednesday found "systemic" problems at a VA hospital in Phoenix, Ariz., confirming the growing reports of misconduct and lengthy wait times that had been reported for several weeks. Among other bouts of misconduct, VA officials at the facility falsified waiting lists to understate the amount of time veterans had been waiting for health care. Several dozen deaths have been linked to the delays in treatment.

The president said Friday that an initial review by Shinseki determined the "misconduct has not been limited to a few va facilities, but many across the country," a situation he called "totally unacceptable."

"Our veterans deserve the best," Mr. Obama said. "They've earned it."

Shinseki had faced mounting calls for his resignation since the VA hospital scandal caught fire last month. The majority of early calls for the secretary to step down came from Republicans, but after Wednesday's interim report, the dam began to break among Democrats as well. As of Friday morning, 13 Senate Democrats had called for Shinseki to step down, all but three of them up for reelection in 2014. Several Democratic Senate candidates running in red states have also called for the secretary to resign.