VA Secretary nominee promising he’s opposed to privatizing agency
Former Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary David Shulkin, MD, said he was pushed out of his position because he opposed privatizing veterans’ healthcare. The nominee to replace him, White House physician Ronny Jackson, MD, has been promising Democratic senators that he’s also against privatization of the VA.
Shulkin’s claims have been denied by the VA but remain an important question for Jackson as he meets with Democrats. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, the top Democrat on the Senate VA Committee, told reporters Jackson echoed Shulkin’s views in a private meeting, saying “wants to build capacity within the VA and he was not interested in privatizing it.” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, also met with Jackson, reporting to the Washington Post that “he said all the right things about not privatizing the VA.”
Other Democrats weren’t convinced Jackson, a one-star Navy admiral, could resist pressure from Trump administration appointees to move more care away from the VA to private practices.
“He was convincing enough to me for now, but I want to see him after he talks to the American Legion and Disabled American Vets and Paralyzed Veterans of America and the VFW and all,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who met with Jackson on Tuesday. “He needs to convince them, and then he needs to convince all of us in a public setting that he will stand up to the president and to the Koch brothers when they try to privatize.”
Republicans have been largely supportive of Jackson’s nomination but there are some reservations unrelated to his stance on privatization. Their concerns center on whether Jackson is qualified for the job considering he’s never run such a large organization.
“He doesn’t have the experience that you traditionally think would be required at the VA, but that doesn’t preclude me from reaching the conclusion that he’d still be a good secretary,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, who also sits on the VA committee.
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John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.