Franken Calls on VA Secretary to Resign

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota U.S. Sen. Al Franken is calling on Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign.

Franken said Wednesday that an inspector general's report on VA medical care is "so troubling" that the department "needs new leadership."

The report found about 1,700 veterans in need of care were "at risk of being lost or forgotten" after being kept off the official waiting list at the troubled Phoenix veterans hospital.

Franken, a Democrat running for re-election, says there "clearly" is a systemic problem that VA leadership has not been addressing.

Another Minnesota Democrat, U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, also called for Shinseki's resignation Wednesday.

Minnesota U.S. Reps. Rick Nolan, a Democrat, and John Kline, a Republican, also have called for Shinseki's resignation, as have several GOP candidates in Minnesota, including potential challengers to Franken.