For Walorski, VA Scandal Is More Than Political: It's Personal

Rep. Jackie Walorski had waited patiently for her turn at the far end the dais, the part reserved for freshmen like herself. But when her time came to question the witness, she could think of only one thing to say: “I’m so sorry.”

“If I could change your circumstance, I would. I would do it in a heartbeat,” she said, sniffling.

“My dad,” she hesitated, her voice trembling, “was a veteran.” The Indiana Republican paused again, sputtering — “that died of colon cancer.” She collected herself, shaking her head.

Walorski was speaking to Barry Coates, an Army veteran who has become the face of the Department of Veterans Affairs scandal involving excessive health care wait times. A potentially life-saving colonoscopy for Coates was put off for more than a year before doctors finally discovered a cancerous tumor with a terminal diagnosis, he told lawmakers on April 9.

Read the entire story from CQ Roll Call.