Following Weeks Of Infighting And Scandal At VA, Trump Mulls Ousting Embattled Secretary
Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, following a travel scandal, spoke about rousting political foes in the agency who he said were trying to undermine him. As President Donald Trump takes other steps to re-align his cabinet, Shulkin may be the next to go.
The Associated Press:
Trump Considers Ousting His VA Secretary In Cabinet Shuffle
President Donald Trump is considering ousting embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, who has faced an insurgency within his department and fresh allegations that he used a member of his security detail to run personal errands. Trump has floated the notion of moving Energy Secretary Rick Perry to the VA to right the ship, believing Shulkin has become a distraction, according to two sources familiar with White House discussions. The sources were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations. (Yen and Miller, 3/13)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Considers Ousting Veterans Affairs Chief
In multiple interviews with The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Shulkin has said forces in the administration and the department are conspiring to oust him, using the pretext of the inspector-general report to urge his ouster. Concerned Veterans for America, a veterans organization aligned with the conservative network backed by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch, has been lobbying publicly against Dr. Shulkin. (Ballhaus, 3/13)
The New York Times:
In Replacing Tillerson With Pompeo, Trump Turns To Loyalists Who Reflect ‘America First’ Views
As the White House absorbed the news about Mr. Tillerson, rumors swirled that the national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, and the secretary of Veterans Affairs, David J. Shulkin, would soon follow him out the door. The sense of disarray was deepened by the purging of Mr. Tillerson’s inner circle and the sudden dismissal of a personal aide to Mr. Trump. (Landler, Haberman, and Harris, 3/13)
Meanwhile, former HHS Secretary Tom Price repays taxpayers following his own travel scandal —
The Associated Press:
Ousted Health Secretary Tom Price Repaid $60K For His Travel
Former health secretary Tom Price repaid the government nearly $60,000 for his costs flying on private charters for official business, House Democrats revealed Tuesday. But White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway flew on some of those same trips, and Democrats want to know how much that cost. "The White House has completely stonewalled our requests for documents," Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said in a letter pressing House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., to subpoena travel records for Conway and other White House officials. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 3/13)
The Hill:
Oversight Dem Demands Info On Conway's Private Flights With Tom Price
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway flew on several of the same private flights as former Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price, but has yet to reimburse the federal government for her share of the costs, House Democrats revealed Tuesday. Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, accused the White House of stonewalling the investigation into how much the flights cost and called on the panel’s chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), to issue a subpoena. (Weixel, 3/13)
And in other news from the administration —
The New York Times:
White House Hails Success Of Disease-Fighting Program, And Plans Deep Cuts
The White House appeared to declare victory this week for an Obama-era initiative to stamp out disease outbreaks around the world even as it moved to scale back the program. The National Security Council released a report on Monday trumpeting the achievements of the multinational Global Health Security Agenda, which helps low-income countries halt epidemics before they cross borders. The report “clearly shows how the investments made by taxpayers to improve global health security are paying dividends,” White House officials said in the announcement. (Baumgaertner, 3/13)
