Trump Nominates Acting VA Secretary To Lead Troubled Agency

President Donald Trump surprised Robert Wilkie Friday with the Veterans Affairs nomination announcement. “The president’s gift underscores his promise to do all that he can for veterans, which includes supporting those who care for our veterans,” Wilkie said at the briefing.

Bloomberg: Trump Surprises Wilkie By Naming Him VA Secretary Nominee

President Donald Trump surprised Robert Wilkie Friday by announcing he would nominate the acting secretary of Veterans Affairs to lead the agency. “I’ll be informing him in a little while -- he doesn’t know this yet -- that we’re going to be putting his name up for nomination to be secretary of the Veterans administration.” Trump said at a White House event on prison reform. Turning toward Wilkie, who was in the audience, the president added, “I’m sorry that I ruined the surprise.” (Epstein, 5/18)

CNN: Robert Wilkie Nominated As Veterans Affairs Secretary

Wilkie is currently the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness but has been serving as the VA's acting secretary since the President fired VA Secretary David Shulkin in late March. ... Wilkie's nomination capped a tumultuous seven weeks since the President fired VA Secretary David Shulkin and nominated White House physician Ronny Jackson to replace him, only to watch Jackson's nomination flame out amid allegations of improper behavior during his time at the helm of the White House medical unit. (Diamond, Summers and Malloy, 5/18)

The Washington Post: Trump Announces He Will Nominate Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie To Become Department’s Permanent Leader

VA has long struggled with how to give a growing number of Vietnam-era veterans and those returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan access to timely health care. Wilkie will likely face questions from senators about how far he would go to shift medical appointments to the private sector at taxpayer expense — an issue that led Trump to fire David Shulkin from the Cabinet post in March. (Rein and Sonne, 5/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump To Nominate Robert Wilkie As Head Of Veterans Affairs

Should Mr. Wilkie move more aggressively to privatize VA health-care services, though, he would risk a backlash from Democrats who fear that the Trump administration is poised to transfer department services to the private sector. In his nomination hearing, Mr. Wilkie is likely to face questions from senators about his views on privatizing more VA care. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, released a statement Friday saying Mr. Wilkie “must commit to oppose privatization and earn veterans’ support to win Senate approval.” (Nicholas and Ballhaus, 5/18)

Politico: Trump Taps Wilkie As Next Veterans Affairs Secretary

As a former adviser to Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and longtime Republican hand, Wilkie’s path to taking the VA’s permanent helm will likely be smoother than the turbulent bid of Ronny Jackson, the president’s former personal physician. Jackson withdrew from consideration to lead the VA last month amid scandal over his workplace behavior.(Lima and Schor, 5/18)

USA Today: Trump Picks Robert Wilkie As The Next Secretary Of Veterans Affairs

When he became acting secretary, the VA put out a statement hailing his leadership in uniting everyone at the agency around shared goals after a tumultuous few months, when Shulkin had been feuding with a group of top political appointees. "Under Acting Secretary Wilkie’s leadership, senior VA officials are now on the same page, speaking with one voice to Veterans, employees and outside stakeholders, such as Congress and veterans service organizations, and are focused on a number of key priorities in the short term," VA press secretary Curt Cashour said. (Slack and Jackson, 5/18)

The New York Times: Trump Says He Will Nominate Acting Secretary To Lead V.A.

If confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Wilkie, 55, would take over the second-largest department in the federal government, overseeing a 360,000-person work force and the vast veterans health care system. In his current role as under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, Mr. Wilkie oversees the health and welfare of all military personnel. Mr. Wilkie, the son of a highly decorated artillery officer who was wounded three times in Vietnam, grew up on Army bases and joked that he was born in khaki diapers. (Sullivan and Philipps, 5/18)

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