Sen. Mark Kirk blasted Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald’s comments comparing VA wait times to Disney wait times Monday, arguing veterans’ experience at the government agency is “nothing compared to a day at Disneyland.”
“The frustration, fear and helplessness our veterans feel waiting for months to get the health care they need is nothing compared to a day at Disneyland and the Secretary should be embarrassed for making such a comparison,” Kirk said in a statement Monday. “Their ‘satisfaction with the experience’ is substandard time and time again.”
The Illinois Republican highlighted problems at the Edward Hines VA facility outside Chicago, where whistleblowers have reported that “food trays are served with cockroaches and rooms are covered in dangerous mold.”
“The Secretary should apologize for his tone deaf comments and show more respect for the men and women he is supposed to be serving,” Kirk said.
House Speaker Paul Ryan also criticized McDonald’s comparison Monday.
“This is not make-believe, Mr. Secretary,” Ryan said in a tweet. “Veterans have died waiting in those lines.”
