Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., took to Twitter Thursday night to criticize President Barack Obama for failing to visit a Phoenix Veterans Affairs hospital while in town for an event held just one mile away.
"Pres Obama's motorcade rolls by #Phoenix VA today, but he refuses to stop & visit vets - sad," McCain tweeted.
Veterans had called for Obama to visit the scandal-ridden hospital, and many even lined up on the street in their wheelchairs outside the hospital as they awaited the president's arrival.
But as Obama's motorcade took him to give a speech about housing at Central High School, it drove right past the veterans without stopping, reported McClatchy.
The VA hospital made headlines last year over the quality of care being provided to veterans. Long appointment wait times allegedly resulted in the death of patients waiting to see a doctor. An internal investigation found that at least 40 veterans died while awaiting appointments, but delays could not be officially determined as the cause, reported ABC 15 Arizona.
McCain also released a statement addressing the incident:
"Veterans in wheelchairs lined the sidewalk outside Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix and watched President Obama's motorcade pass by without stopping on its way to Central High School, just around the block - one mile away.
"It is deeply disappointing that the president refused to take time to visit the veterans at the Phoenix VA, where the national scandal of mismanagement in VA health care first surfaced this spring. There is much more work to be done to restore veterans' confidence in the VA system responsible for their care, and a visit by the president would have made clear that it is a key priority.
"Unfortunately, President Obama missed another opportunity to do right by those who have served and sacrificed on our nation's behalf."
