WASHINGTON (AP) — Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald said Tuesday he regrets remarks he made comparing long wait times at VA health care sites to waiting in line at a Disney amusement park.
"It was never my intention to suggest that I don't take our mission of serving veterans very seriously," McDonald said in a written statement. "If my comments Monday led any veterans to believe that I, or the dedicated workforce I am privileged to lead, don't take that noble mission seriously, I deeply regret that. Nothing could be further from the truth."
BOSTON – Opponents hit Beacon Hill Tuesday to rally against proposals that would mandate access to public bathrooms or changing rooms for individuals based on the gender of their choice, two weeks after the state Senate overwhelmingly passed a so-called bathroom bill and in anticipation of a vote as soon as Wednesday on a different version of the legislation in the House of Representatives.
Tuesday's rally, led by the conservative-leaning Massachusetts Family Institute, drew more than 100 demonstrators who heard from several speakers, including a 12-year-old middle school girl. They focused their remarks on protecting their rights to privacy.
