Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'It Should Not Be This Hard To Serve Your Country': Shulkin Goes Down Swinging Against Political Foes
Politico: No Longer Muzzled, Shulkin Takes On Trump’s White House
Ousted Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin is going down swinging. Instead of disappearing into obscurity like others who were summarily fired by President Donald Trump, Shulkin is using his dismissal as an opportunity to step into the spotlight. Freed from the constraints of serving in the Trump administration, Shulkin is publicly — and loudly — raising red flags about what he sees as a sinister plot to privatize veterans’ health care. (Restuccia and Nelson, 3/29)
The Associated Press: Fired VA Secretary Says Privatization Advocates Doomed Him
Former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin is blaming his sudden ouster from the Trump administration on "political forces" that he says are bent on privatizing the agency and putting "companies with profits" over the care of veterans. Shulkin, the lone Obama administration holdover serving in President Donald Trump's Cabinet, blasted a "toxic" and "subversive" environment in Washington that made it impossible for him to lead. In a tweet late Wednesday, President Donald Trump fired Shulkin, who faced a mounting internal rebellion at VA and a bruising ethics scandal. (Yen and Miller, 3/29)
Politico: Shulkin: Trump Didn’t Mention Firing In Call Hours Before He Was Fired
Hours before he was ousted, former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin discussed his progress in his position with President Donald Trump — who gave him no indication that he would later fire him. Shulkin said during an interview with MSNBC that he spoke on the phone to Trump on Wednesday about needing to focus on polices to help the VA. (Morin, 3/29)
Boston Globe: Outgoing VA Secretary David Shulkin Blasts Washington Culture In NYT Op-Ed
Just hours after David Shulkin became the latest departure from the tumultuous Trump administration, the outgoing Department of Veterans Affairs secretary wrote a New York Times op-ed slamming the culture of Washington, D.C., and suggesting his ouster was the result of political forces in the Trump White House trying to get him out of the way. (Prignano, 3/29)
