Trump taps VA health chief Shulkin to be secretary

President-elect Donald Trump Wednesday named David Shulkin, the top health official in the Department of Veterans Affairs, to be VA secretary.

A physician, Shulkin serves as VA's undersecretary of health, a position he's held in the Obama administration since 2015. Trump announced the surprise pick during a long-awaited press conference at Trump Tower in New York.


The selection of Shulkin ends a lengthy search for a VA chief, typically one of the least controversial Cabinet picks. Trump interviewed a number of veterans' advocates, former politicians and health care executives, including some who turned down his overtures.

"We looked long and hard" for a VA secretary, Trump said Wednesday, adding his transition team had interviewed "at least 100 people" for the job.

Shulkin's nomination drew early praise from veterans groups and lawmakers from both parties as well as a major federal workers' union that represents nearly 250,000 VA employees, the American Federation of Government Employees.

If confirmed, though, Shulkin would be the first VA secretary in the department's history not to have served in the military. And while some veterans groups expressed their preference for Trump to nominate a veteran, most praised Shulkin's work at VA under the current secretary, Robert McDonald.

"While our membership has been clear in its preference to have a veteran leading the VA, I am heartened by the fact that Dr. Shulkin seems to legitimately 'get it,'" said AMVETS Executive Director Joe Chenelly.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America CEO Paul Reickhoff said his group "overwhelmingly supported" a veteran for the job, but called Shulkin the best of the remaining field of candidates.

"He is a committed leader and is our best hope among candidates reported in the media to maintain the momentum created by Secretary McDonald to reform the VA," Reickhoff said.

And American Legion National Commander Charles Schmidt said in a statement, "My staff and I have worked closely with Dr. Shulkin and believe he has improved the Veterans Health Administration in the short time he has been at the helm,"

Shulkin is also one of the few, if only, holdovers from the Obama administration so far tapped by the Republican president-elect. Trump's transition team is also weighing keeping Bob Work as the Pentagon's deputy secretary for several months in the new administration, while a search goes on for a permanent appointee.

On Capitol Hill, the selection drew praise from House Veterans' Affairs Chairman Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), who said he looks forward to working with Shulkin.

“I am pleased President-elect Trump has chosen a physician to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, especially one familiar with the integrating of private practitioners into the VA's network of health care providers," Roe said in a statement.

"Dr. Shulkin understands the critical importance of working hand-in-hand with Congress on enacting meaningful, bipartisan reforms to help right the ship at the VA," added Senate Veterans' Affairs Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.).

His Senate VA committee would hold a confirmation hearing for Shulkin "in the coming weeks," Isakson said.

As undersecretary of health, Shulkin oversees the largest integrated healthcare system in the country. He’s served "in numerous chief executive roles" according to his official VA biography.

Before joining VA, Shulkin was president of the Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey and, earlier, president and chief executive of the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.

Trump praised Shulkin Wednesday as a "fantastic" choice.

"He will do a truly great job," Trump said.

The selection of a current VA leader is curious given Trump's intense criticism of the massive bureaucracy and the health care provided to veterans — criticism he repeated again Wednesday.

"One of the commitments I've made is that we're going to straighten out the whole situation for our veterans," Trump said. "Our veterans have been treated horribly."

Trump has pledged to turn the massive bureaucracy, with its roughly $180 billion annual budget and some 350,000 employees, on its head and make veterans a top priority in his new administration.

He recently hinted at wider use of private health care to treat veterans, something praised by Republicans but what Democrats and many veterans service organizations have warned is tantamount to privatizing the VA health care system.

The conservative Concerned Veterans for America, which has pushed for veterans to obtain greater health care from the private sector, said it would attempt to partner with Shulkin on "on urgently needed reforms, such as empowering veterans to access care outside the VA."

The Koch-backed group's former CEO, Pete Hegseth, was also under consideration for the top VA post.

"It is no secret that the VA has been failing veterans for years," CVA Executive Director Mark Lucas said. "While Shulkin already holds a leadership position at the VA, as secretary, he will now have ultimate responsibility over the agency and we are hopeful he will take it in a new direction."

Trump's 10-point veterans policy detailed during his campaign promises accountability for VA employees, beefed up mental health services and even a private White House hotline to report wrongdoing at the VA.