Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., is calling for an immediate moratorium on art purchases made by the Department of Veterans Affairs. An investigation found the VA spent $20 million on high-end art over the last decade, all while veterans died waiting for VA care and senior VA officials claimed to be under-staffed and under-funded.

“I question the priorities of the VA for art purchases while veterans wait for care and call on you to block further spending on art by the VA and formalize processes which include using artwork by veterans instead,” Kirk wrote in a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald.