Marco Rubio gives Obama an ‘F’ on VA issues

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida on Thursday gave President Obama a failing grade on issues related to the embattled Department of Veterans Affairs.

“It’s an F — I mean, because the system’s gotten worse, not better,” Mr. Rubio said at a Concerned Veterans for America town hall in New Hampshire, drawing applause. “We’ve replaced the secretary, we’ve had press conferences … and you’ve poured more money into it, and the results — the wait times have gotten longer in some places.”

Mr. Rubio, a 2016 GOP presidential candidate, said he thinks when it comes to such issues, “it’s either an ’A’ or an ’F.’ “

“It can’t be a ’C’ or a ’D’ — I mean, it’s either an ’A’ or an ’F,’ ” he said.

Mr. Rubio said it’s not a “funding issue” or a “want to” issue, “it is the fact that the model itself may no longer work in a 21st century that is dramatically different from what the world looked like 80 to a 100 years ago in terms of access to private providers and centers of excellence that want to take care of veterans and are open for business that can see you right away and produce a result that’s good or better.”

“Again, the key is it is up to the veteran to choose,” he said. “They may be very happy at the VA that they have, they may be very pleased with the services they’re being offered and that should be available to them as well. But putting the veteran in charge - [you] don’t do that, you’re going to continue to have a failing grade no matter who the president is.”