WASHINGTON — Critics said Monday that Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald had trivialized the long-standing problem of lengthy wait times for appointments at California’s veterans medical centers by comparing them to waiting in long lines at Disneyland.

His comments sparked an angry backlash from California lawmakers who felt that he had dismissed the angst and frustration of their constituents. McDonald made the comments Monday during a roundtable discussion with reporters hosted by The Christian Science Monitor.

“When you go to Disneyland, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line?” he said. “What’s important? What’s important is: What’s your satisfaction with the experience?”

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., said in a statement that McDonald’s comparison to the lines at Disneyland Park “is utterly out of touch.”

“The wait times sure as hell did matter to the veterans who died while waiting for services,” he said. “The wait times sure as hell do matter to the veterans who call my office because they are struggling to get in to see a VA doctor. . Why is that so hard for our VA secretary to understand?”

The Disneyland Park guest services website shows the park does measure current wait times for rides throughout the day and they are viewable by the public.

The VA has learned that measuring the wrong metric can bring unintended consequences and confusion, so the agency is careful not to base the quality of care on wait times alone, according to VA spokeswoman Victoria Dillon.

“We know that veterans are still waiting too long for care,” she said. “In our effort to determine how we can better meet veterans’ needs, knowing that their satisfaction is our most important measure we must transform the way we do business.”

Long wait times for appointments at VA medical centers have been an enduring concern, particularly since the Iraq War produced so many casualties, which flooded the VA when the injured troops left the military. It became a public scandal in 2014, when CNN revealed that veterans had died while waiting for treatment.