Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has resigned amid widespread troubles in the VA healthcare system. President Barack Obama says he accepted the resignation with "considerable regret." He and Shinseki met in the Oval Office on Friday morning.
Shinseki had faced mounting calls to step down from lawmakers in both parties.
Shinseki's resignation comes two days after a scathing internal report found broad and deep-seated problems in the sprawling healthcare system. The system provides care to about 6.5 million veterans annually.
Shinseki is a retired four-star Army general who has overseen the VA since the start of Obama's presidency.
The controversy has ballooned into a top Washington issue since allegations surfaced that as many as 40 veterans may have died while awaiting care at the healthcare system in Phoenix, Arizona.
But it is difficult to predict how significant the political fallout will be or how it could affect November's congressional elections. Although lawmakers from both parties have called for Shinseki's resignation, each side has moved cautiously, sensitive about being seen as exploiting the plight of veterans for political gain. So far, the political moves have been low-budget, mass telephone calls, web-based attacks and television commercials that will air relatively infrequently. They're likely to stay that way until it becomes clear how long-lasting the furor is.