Story highlights Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald had compared wait times for veterans to waiting in line at Disneyland

The comments have drawn sharp rebuke, including now from Sen. Roy Blunt who's calling for McDonald to resign

(CNN) A senior Republican senator called on Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald to resign Tuesday after he inflamed the veterans' community by comparing the time it takes to receive medical care to long lines at Disneyland.

The demand by Roy Blunt of Missouri, a member of the Senate Republican leadership, is the first by a lawmaker and comes just about 24 hours after McDonald made his remark to a group of reporters Monday.

"When you go to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line? Or what's important?" McDonald said at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast in Washington . "What's important is what's your satisfaction with the experience."

Blunt, who is running for re-election in what could be a tight race, issued a statement slamming McDonald as being "right out of Never Never Land."

"I call on him to resign because it's clear he cannot prioritize getting our veterans the health care they deserve and have earned in a timely manner. Dismissing wait times when veterans can often wait months for an appointment is negligent and a clear sign that new leadership is needed at the VA," Blunt said.

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