Obama: ‘Dismantling the VA system would be a mistake’

President Obama said Sunday the Department of Veterans Affairs still has work to do to improve its services for veterans but warned that privatizing the agency would be a mistake. 

{mosads}Issues within the VA have come to light this election season, as presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has made the agency a main point of his campaign, often talking about “thousands” of veterans dying while waiting for healthcare at VA hospitals. 

But Obama has maintained that trying to fix the current system is the best option. 

“The notion of dismantling the VA system would be a mistake,” Obama told The Colorado Springs Gazette during a visit to the city. 

He said his administration is working toward modernizing the VA and providing veterans with more timely healthcare services. 

“If you look at, for example, VA health care, there have been challenges getting people into the system. Once they are in, they are extremely satisfied and the quality of care is very high,” Obama said. 

“I think the main message is that we’ve still got a lot of work to do. It’s an all-hands-on-deck process.”