A big question for lawmakers — left largely unanswered Monday — was what Army officials knew about the problems before a series of articles last month by The Washington Post shined a spotlight on them, and whether they chose to ignore them.

In addition to Weightman's resignation, Defense Secretary Robert Gates forced Army Secretary Francis Harvey to step down last Friday. In addition, Gates replaced Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, who was named interim commander of Walter Reed, which he had led from 2000 until 2004, when he became Army surgeon general.

Kiley said Monday he had been aware of some issues, including an October service assessment citing problems with Walter Reed staffing, medical evaluations and patient handling.

When asked by Rep. Christopher Shays why he hadn't previously asked Congress for money to fix the problems, Kiley said he did not think money was the issue. The general said the system for outpatient care is "complex, confusing and frustrating" and that more doctors, nurses and other staff are being brought in.

Lawmakers were not convinced.

"What you're saying though, under oath, is that you have all the resources necessary to you," said Shays, R-Conn. "And I honestly don't believe that. I don't believe that."

Rep. Henry Waxman pointed to several investigative reports — including assessments by the Rand Corp. and the Government Accountability Office — dating back two years ago that sounded "alarm bells."

"Despite all the work that went on before, top Pentagon officials reacted to the reports at Walter Reed two weeks ago by claiming surprise," said Waxman, D-Calif.

Monday's hearing came as the new Democratic-controlled Congress is considering the administration's $93.4 billion request for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan — a spending blueprint that includes money to send 21,500 additional troops in Iraq. Democrats are looking for a way to force Bush to begin bringing troops home and spend some money instead on veterans' health care.