WASHINGTON - An Arizona congressman said Saturday that mold-covered walls, rodent infestations and other problems uncovered recently at Walter Reed Army Medical Center reveal "a catastrophic failure of leadership" by the Bush administration.
Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz., said in the Democrats' weekly radio address that Congress is acting quickly to hold the administration accountable for underfunding and mismanaging the veterans health care system.
"This is no way to treat our troops, no way to treat our veterans, and Democrats are taking action," Mitchell said.
Mitchell's comments come after a week of congressional hearings on reports of shoddy outpatient health care at Walter Reed, one of the nation's premier facilities for treating veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Current and former officials and patients at the hearings told of neglect, bureaucratic delays and other problems at veterans hospitals and clinics across the country.
"Sadly, what is happening at Walter Reed is not an exception to the way this administration has treated our troops," said Mitchell, who chaired one of the hearings. "What we now know is that the situation at Walter Reed cannot simply be fixed with drywall and paint. The problems at Walter Reed were not just about run-down buildings - the problem was a catastrophic failure of leadership."
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