Washington ? Veterans Affairs officials waited two weeks to call in the FBI to investigate the theft of sensitive personal data, delaying a warning to 26.5 million veterans now at risk in one of the nation’s largest security breaches. Lawmakers from both parties demanded answers.

Burglars struck the suburban Maryland home of the VA data analyst in early May, taking a government-owned laptop and disks containing the names, Social Security numbers and birth dates of veterans discharged since 1975.

But the FBI wasn’t notified until late last week, two law enforcement officials said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, said his panel would have an emergency hearing Thursday because “26 million people deserve answers.” VA Secretary Jim Nicholson was expected to testify.

Matthew Burns, a VA spokesman, did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment. In a briefing Monday, Nicholson said the agency was seeking to act promptly to inform veterans by notifying Congress and setting up a call center and Web site.

Meanwhile, in a briefing paper to Congress, acting VA inspector general Jon Wooditch said he was closely reviewing the theft from a VA data analyst’s Maryland home, noting that his office had long cautioned that access controls were weak.

Since 2001, the IG has reported security vulnerabilities related to the operating system, passwords, a lack of strong detection alerts and a need for better access controls, he wrote.