Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) appeared on CBS's Face the Nation Sunday asking "what took so long" for the Department of Veteran's Affairs to begin investigating the backlogs and secret waiting lists that have led to the deaths of 40 veterans.

Kinzinger told guest host Major Garrett:

Everything I hear from this administration, from politicians talking about it -- and I'm acutely aware of the fact that I'm also a politician -- is talking about in-depth studies, see what results are, and we need to figure out what is going on here, and look at this, and look at that. Meanwhile, while we're waiting for the results of studies, you have veterans that are waiting for care from the Veterans Administration.

Kinzinger wants to see Gen. Eric Shinseki step down, noting that he has been at the VA for six years and "has not been able to get his grip on this." Kinzinger adds that Shinseki has yet to show the level of outrage that he should. Kinzinger labeled President Obama's press conference a repeat of rhetoric going back to 2007 and said, "It is time for a shake up and for some real issues."

Kinzinger did praise the recent announcement by the VA that veterans can now go to private doctors and hospitals to receive care but he was quick to point out that he introduced a similar bill a year ago. That leads the congressman to ask the question, "What took so long?" and to level charges of criminal neglect:

This is not a new issue in terms of the backlog, and it's not a new issue in terms of the fact that there were now secret waiting lists created -- which is a whole other level of incompetency, to the level of criminality.

Garrett asked, "Is that something you are certain of or suspicious about?" Kinzinger responded:

Well, I'm not a lawyer -- and I'm kind of proud of that. But at the same time, if you have somebody that created a fake waiting list in order to make their numbers look better, more interested in protecting their bonuses and their job than in protecting those that have protected us, frankly, I think that is criminal negligence.

For me, I think it's gone from incompetence.

We were talking a year or a two year backlog -- that was incompetence, that was bureaucracy, that was something that we had to take a real strong approach on. But when it came to people have created fake waiting lists and veterans have died, I think that goes to the level of criminality, and that's where as a prior senator was saying, the Department of Justice needs to get involved. The president has got to show some intense outrage.