Wilkie did not offer specifics on policies or programs to “make sure the needs of our fighting women are taken care of,” but he did acknowledge that women veterans are the fastest growing demographic group under the department’s watch. The department has come under criticism in recent years for its slow response to complaints about a lack of exam space and health expertise for female patients, as well as administration officials’ refusal to reconsider changing the VA motto of “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan” to less gender-specific language.