President Obama alludes to VA scandal in weekly address
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images


President Barack Obama used his weekly address, which came just before Monday's Memorial Day observance, to thank veterans and their families for sacrifices and service. But he also used the address to make several allusions to the growing scandal within the Veteran Affairs Department, which has been under fire as reports of delayed and inadequate care have come to light.
"In recent weeks, we've seen again how much more our nation has to do to make sure all our veterans get the care they deserve," he says in the video. "As commander in chief, I believe that taking care of our veterans and their families is a sacred obligation."
He also touched on how that care will be even more necessary as U.S. troops continue to arrive home from Afghanistan: "We have to work even harder as a nation to make sure all our veterans get the benefits and opportunities they've earned," he says. "They've done their duty, and they ask nothing more than that this country does ours — now and for decades to come."
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Watch the entire address, below. --Sarah Eberspacher
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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
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