GOP leaders rip VA chief over Disneyland comparison

House GOP leaders on Tuesday slammed Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald for comparing wait times at VA hospitals to lines at a Disney theme park, but they stopped short of calling for his removal.

“This is not make-believe. This is not Disneyland, or Wonderland, for that matter,” Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said during a news conference with his leadership team.

“Veterans have died waiting in line for their care,” he continued. “Clearly, the secretary’s comments were not worthy of the veterans that he serves, but they are also indicative of a culture of indifference at the VA.”

Ryan’s top lieutenants — Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash) — also sought to emphasize the party’s message ahead of the Memorial Day holiday.

“Tone deaf” was Scalise’s description of the VA chief’s remark. McMorris Rodgers, the wife of a retired Navy veteran, said McDonald’s comparison was simply “unbelievable.”

“When you go to Disneyland, you aren’t wondering if you will live long enough to make it to Space Mountain. Clearly the VA is not the happiest place on Earth, and veterans have died waiting in these lines.”

McDonald, a former CEO of Procter & Gamble, was confirmed as VA secretary in July 2014. His predecessor, Eric Shinseki, resigned in the wake of reports that veterans were dying while waiting for care at department clinics.

McDonald sparked controversy during a Christian Science Monitor breakfast with reporters Monday as he tried to make a point that patient satisfaction was the priority.

“When you go to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line?” he asked. “What’s important is what’s your satisfaction with the experience.”

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of Mitch McConnell’s leadership team, called on McDonald to resign over the Disney remark. But Ryan wouldn’t go as far.

“I don’t know if he should resign. I think he should clarify his comments and he should show some empathy for our veterans that he is supposed to serve,” Ryan said. “This really is just beyond the pale. … It just shows the arrogance of a federal bureaucracy.”