Different Takes: Right-Wing Donors (I.E., Koch Brothers) Perform Coup At Veterans Affairs; Open Up Privatized-Care Options

The New York Times: A Coup At Veterans Affairs
If you’re like us, your initial reaction upon hearing that President Trump had picked his personal physician to head the Department of Veterans Affairs was: “What? You mean the guy who looks like a retired Grateful Dead roadie and said ‘unequivocally’ that Mr. Trump would be ‘the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency’”? No, not him. The doctor with no managerial experience nominated to head the second-largest federal bureaucracy is Dr. Ronny Jackson, the lead White House physician since 2013 and a rear admiral, who said after an exam in January that Mr. Trump was in “excellent health,” despite being overweight and needing a higher dosage of cholesterol-lowering medication.” (3/29)

USA Today: Expand Private Health Care Options For Veterans
Four years ago, Americans were shocked by the scandal at the Phoenix VA hospital, where VA employees were letting veterans wait months to receive critical health care. For some patients, this wasn’t just an inconvenience. It was fatal. America understood that our veterans were not receiving the timely health care they had earned. So, Congress quickly passed legislation that allowed some veterans to see private doctors. The ensuing “choice” program offered limited opportunities for some veterans to access private care if they were unable to get timely treatment at the VA. It was an important reform, but it wasn’t enough. (Dan Caldwell, 3/29)

The New York Times: Is It Policy, Or Just Reality TV?
The other day the Trump administration announced a new trade deal with South Korea. It also announced that President Trump was nominating the White House physician to head the Department of Veterans Affairs. What do these announcements have in common? The answer is that both are indicators of how Trump views his job. He doesn’t seem to see actual policymaking as important; instead, he treats it all as an exercise in reality TV. (Paul Krugman, 3/29)

The Washington Post: Surprise: Trump’s Newest Cabinet Nominee Has No Relevant Experience
You can’t make this stuff up: President Trump has announced he will nominate a medical doctor who has no discernible management experience to run the second-largest agency in the federal government. Can presidents be sued for malpractice? (Eugene Robinson, 3/29)

The Washington Post: Can Ronny Jackson Really Run The VA?
Hard questions about whether Dr. Ronny Jackson’s résumé qualifies him to do this job need to be asked at Senate confirmation hearings. There also should be scrutiny of his plans for the agency, specifically his views on the controversial issue of the privatization of VA services. If it is to make good on its members’ frequent promises to the men and women who have served the country, the Senate must take seriously its responsibility to advise and consent on the next VA secretary. It should not rubber-stamp an appointee who makes the president feel comfortable. (3/29)

USA Today: White House Doctor Ronny Jackson's Lack Of Management Experience May Hurt VA
Easily lost amid the latest Twitter-announced firing within the Trump administration — in this case, dismissal of VA Secretary David Shulkin — is what is best for the millions of veterans he was serving. Ethical missteps by Shulkin, the only Trump nominee confirmed 100-0 last year by the Senate, left him exposed to dismissal. But the underlying issue is whether the Department of Veterans Affairs' health care system should be largely privatized. Shulkin, rightly in our view, made clear that would never happen on his watch. (3/29)

The New York Times: Ronny Jackson’s Disturbing Lack Of Independence
In announcing Dr. Ronny Jackson, the White House physician, as his choice to be the new secretary for veterans affairs, President Trump has taken his latest misstep in what has been the worst presidential personnel process in modern history. We take no pleasure in saying so, including because one of us (Mr. Eisen) worked with Dr. Jackson in the White House, was even treated by him, and can testify that he is a very capable physician. But that good opinion of Dr. Jackson, which was widely held in the Obama administration, by no means qualifies him to run one of the largest, most complex and troubled cabinet agencies in the federal government. (Norman L. Eisen and Brandy X. Lee, 3/29)