Post by icemandios on May 21, 2018 15:45:08 GMT
Trump to nominate acting VA secretary Wilkie to lead agency
By Tony Abraham
• May 18, 2018
Dive Brief:
Left-leaning veteran advocacy groups recently sued the White House over Wilkie's appointment as acting secretary, saying the administration violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act by bypassing Deputy Secretary Thomas Bowman, who was next in line to lead the department after Trump fired former secretary David Shulkin in March.
Dive Insight:
The Department of Veterans Affairs, the second-largest federal agency, has been without a permanent secretary since Shulkin's late-March ouster. Shulkin has become a vocal opponent of potential privatization efforts since his firing, warning that the administration is steering the VA down the road to wholesale privatization.
Many who oppose privatization efforts were wary of Jackson, who withdrew his nomination after facing Senate scrutinization over an alleged history of over-prescribing and being intoxicated on the job. Critics worried of the potential for him to willfully carry out privatization marching orders from the administration and Republican policymakers.
Wilkie has been the subject of similar scrutiny from left-leaning advocacy groups opposing privatization. Watchdog group Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit on behalf of veterans earlier this month, claiming Trump violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and other federal statutes by bypassing Deputy Secretary Thomas Bowman, next in line after Shulkin, to appoint Wilkie as acting VA secretary. Democracy Forward claimed Wilkie was chosen to push the administration's alleged privatization agenda.
The Veterans Choice program, which is designed for veterans who live far away from a VA clinic, is one vehicle that will move some privatization already underway forward within the VA. The program, originally, created in 2014 with the intention to last for two years as a stop-gap measure, allows veterans the option of receiving care from the private sector if they live more than 40 miles driving distance from a VA facility, or if they have to wait more than 30 days to get an appointment.
Legislation has been introduced in the House to make the Veterans Choice program permanent and revamp it to lean more heavily on private sector providers. That legislation, called the Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act, is expected to be passed by the Senate next week and be sent to the president’s desk before Memorial Day. Trump has said he will sign the bill "immediately."
"We had different levels of choice: good, bad, okay, and really good. And I think this falls into the 'really good' category," Trump said in an announcement, adding that the Choice revamp is "going to be a little more expensive, but that's okay."
By Tony Abraham
• May 18, 2018
Dive Brief:
President Donald Trump announced Friday he will nominate acting secretary Robert Wilkie to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The move comes weeks after Trump's previous pick, White House physician Ronny Jackson, withdrew his nomination amid allegations of poor professional conduct.
Dive Insight:
The Department of Veterans Affairs, the second-largest federal agency, has been without a permanent secretary since Shulkin's late-March ouster. Shulkin has become a vocal opponent of potential privatization efforts since his firing, warning that the administration is steering the VA down the road to wholesale privatization.
Many who oppose privatization efforts were wary of Jackson, who withdrew his nomination after facing Senate scrutinization over an alleged history of over-prescribing and being intoxicated on the job. Critics worried of the potential for him to willfully carry out privatization marching orders from the administration and Republican policymakers.
Wilkie has been the subject of similar scrutiny from left-leaning advocacy groups opposing privatization. Watchdog group Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit on behalf of veterans earlier this month, claiming Trump violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and other federal statutes by bypassing Deputy Secretary Thomas Bowman, next in line after Shulkin, to appoint Wilkie as acting VA secretary. Democracy Forward claimed Wilkie was chosen to push the administration's alleged privatization agenda.
The Veterans Choice program, which is designed for veterans who live far away from a VA clinic, is one vehicle that will move some privatization already underway forward within the VA. The program, originally, created in 2014 with the intention to last for two years as a stop-gap measure, allows veterans the option of receiving care from the private sector if they live more than 40 miles driving distance from a VA facility, or if they have to wait more than 30 days to get an appointment.
Legislation has been introduced in the House to make the Veterans Choice program permanent and revamp it to lean more heavily on private sector providers. That legislation, called the Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act, is expected to be passed by the Senate next week and be sent to the president’s desk before Memorial Day. Trump has said he will sign the bill "immediately."
"We had different levels of choice: good, bad, okay, and really good. And I think this falls into the 'really good' category," Trump said in an announcement, adding that the Choice revamp is "going to be a little more expensive, but that's okay."
