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May 21, 2014: President Obama speaks at the White House in Washington.AP

President Obama, breaking his silence on the Veterans Affairs scandal, outlined steps Wednesday to "fix whatever is wrong" at the agency -- while stopping short of heeding calls to sack VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.

The president described Shinseki as a "great soldier" who has "put his heart and soul into this thing."

At the same time, Obama is bringing in the White House deputy chief of staff, Rob Nabors, to oversee a broader review. He dispatched Nabors on Wednesday to Phoenix, where allegations of patient deaths tied to delayed care first surfaced.

"We've got to do better," Obama conceded, while indicating he wants to wait for the conclusion of internal probes before addressing whether any more top officials should resign.

"When I hear allegations of misconduct ... I will not stand for it," Obama said. "None of us should."

He added: "If these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable, it is disgraceful and I will not tolerate it -- period."

Obama then followed up with a list of what he claimed are his administration's accomplishments in taking care of vets and their families.

Leading Republicans swiftly criticized the president's long-awaited remarks as missing the mark.

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell said "it's time for serious action and accountability."

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Obama vows to tackle VA problems, voices support for Shinseki

President Obama said Wednesday he will not stand for misconduct and mismanagement at the Department of Veterans Affairs, but defended his VA chief as dedicated to fixing the troubled the agency.

Secretary Eric K. Shinseki has been a great public servant and a great warrior and has put his heart and soul into improving care for veterans, addressing homelessness and reducing long backlogs for services, Obama said.

Critics have been calling for Shinsekis resignation in the wake of complaints that VA medical facilities have concealed long waits for healthcare. Obama said he would wait to see the results of internal investigations before holding officials at accountable.

I will not stand for it, not as commander in chief, but also not as an American. None of us should, Obama told reporters at the White House in a lengthy statement that followed a private meeting with Shinseki. So if these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable, it is disgraceful, and I will not tolerate it, period.

The investigation has expanded to 26 VA sites, the agency's inspector generals office confirmed Wednesday. The office, which previously identified VA facilities in Phoenix, San Antonio and Fort Collins, Colo., as the subject of its review, declined to identify the new sites.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Rob Nabors will be flying to the VA facility in Phoenix, which has been accused of maintaining secret waiting lists to hide delays in treating veterans.

Later Wednesday, the House is to vote on legislation that would give the VA secretary new authority to fire senior employees. The proposed VA Management Accountability Act has Republican and Democratic co-sponsors and the support of veterans groups.

Richard J. Griffin, the VAs acting inspector general, told a Senate committee last week that he expects to have the findings of his investigation ready in August. He also said his review could lead to criminal charges.

Griffin told lawmakers last week that his investigators were examining whether the Phoenix facilitys waiting list purposefully omitted the names of veterans waiting for care, and if so, at whose direction and whether any veterans deaths were related to delays in care.

He also said he had expanded his review in response to reports of manipulated waiting times at other VA facilities from the inspector generals hotline, members of Congress and the media, noting his investigators had responded to 10 new allegations that arose after reports of abuses at the Phoenix VA facility.

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Obama defends VA chief, says he 'will not stand' for misconduct

President Barack Obama on Wednesday vowed to get to the bottom of alleged misconduct at Veterans Affairs agency hospitals, calling the reported activity "dishonorable" and "disgraceful" but expressing confidence that VA Secretary Eric Shinseki will continue working with the administration to solve the problem "at this stage."

"If these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable, it is disgraceful and I will not tolerate it, period," he said in remarks at the White House.

Obama made the statement after meeting with Shinseki and top White House aide Rob Nabors, whom Obama has tapped to help fix the departments problems.

Several high-profile lawmakers have called for Shinsekis ouster over the matter, but Obama said that the secretary has been "a great public servant" for veterans and for the country.

But, he warned: "I want to see what the results of these reports are and there is going to be accountability."

"I know that Ric's attitude is that if does not think he can do a good job on this, and if he thinks he's let our veterans down, then I'm sure he is not going to be interested in continuing to serve," he said of Shinseki. "At this stage, Ric is committed to solving the problem and working with us to do it."

U.S. President Barack Obama makes a statement to the press after meeting with U.S. Secretary of Veteran Affairs Eric Shinseki at the White House in Washington, May 21, 2014.

The president also highlighted the administration's efforts to reduce homelessness and unemployment among veterans, as well as a push to slash the VA backlog.

His comments were the first on the VA facility controversy since he addressed the issue on April 28.

The White House is facing an increasing outcry over allegations that VA hospital employees tampered with data and built hidden waiting lists to obscure the long delays veterans faced when needing care.

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Obama on VA Misconduct: 'I Will Not Tolerate It'

Seeking to head off a growing furor over veterans' health care, President Barack Obama declared Wednesday that allegations of misconduct at VA hospitals are "dishonorable" and will be not be tolerated by his administration.

"I will not stand for it not as commander in chief but also not as an American," Obama said following an Oval Office meeting with embattled VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.

His administration is under mounting pressure from Capitol Hill to address troubling allegations of treatment delays and preventable deaths at VA hospitals. The VA Inspector General's office said late Tuesday that 26 facilities are being investigated nationwide up from 10 just last week including a Phoenix hospital where 40 veterans allegedly died while waiting for treatment and staff there kept a secret list of patients waiting for appointments to hide delays in care.

Shinseki, a retired Army four-star general, is facing calls for his resignation from some lawmakers. Obama spoke warmly of Shinseki Wednesday, saying the secretary had poured his heart and soul into his job, but said there would be accountability if the allegations of misconduct are proven to be true.

"We are going to fix whatever is wrong and so long as I have the privilege of serving as commander in chief, I'm going to keep on fighting to deliver the care and the benefits and the opportunities that you and your families deserve, now and for decades to come," Obama said.

The president spoke hours before the House was scheduled to vote on a bill that would grant the VA secretary more authority to fire or demote senior executives. The White House has said it shares the goals of the House measure to ensure accountability at the VA but has concerns about some of the details.

Obama's statement marked his first public comments on the matter in more than two weeks. Last week, he dispatched his deputy chief of staff Rob Nabors to the VA to oversee a review of department policies, with a preliminary report due next week and a full report scheduled to be sent to the White House in June.

The president's remarks did little to quell the anger over the alleged misconduct.

Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, a military veteran, said Obama's comments were "wholly insufficient in addressing the fundamental, systemic problems plaguing our veterans' health care system." And Paul Rieckhoff, the head of the organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, called the president's words "a tremendous disappointment."

"Speeches and excuses will not solve this problem," Rieckhoff said. "Only decisive leadership, bold change and strong accountability will repair decades of failure."

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Obama: Any Misconduct at VA Will Be Punished