Nominee For VA Secretary Chief Sails Through Committee And Is Headed For Full Senate Confirmation
Robert Wilkie was grilled during his confirmation hearing about whether he will seek to privatize the troubled Veterans Affairs Department. He promised that he won't. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was the only lawmaker on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to vote against Wilkie.
The Associated Press:
Senate Panel OKs Trump's Pick To Lead Troubled VA
A Senate panel voted Tuesday to approve President Donald Trump's nominee to lead Veterans Affairs, a department beset by political infighting and turmoil over providing health care. The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee agreed on voice vote to back Robert Wilkie, currently serving as a Pentagon undersecretary. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont cast a "no" vote. (Yen, 7/10)
The Washington Post:
Robert Wilkie, Trump’s Pick For Veterans Affairs Secretary, Clears Key Senate Hurdle
The senators approved sending Wilkie’s nomination to the Senate floor in a voice vote, with only Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) being recorded as a no, according to a committee spokeswoman. Sanders’s vote was not a reflection on Wilkie personally but as a result of his concern that the Trump administration plans to privatize veterans’ health care, a spokesman for the senator said. The committee’s chairman, Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), issued a statement after Tuesday’s vote calling Wilkie a respected and talented nominee and urging the Senate to approve his nomination to run the embattled federal agency. (Rein and Sonne, 7/10)
The Hill:
VA Nominee Heads To Full Senate Confirmation
Wilkie, who served as acting VA secretary until he stepped down after being nominated for secretary, is a Washington insider with years of administrative experience who has previously worked on Capitol Hill as well as in the Pentagon for two presidents. (Weixel, 7/10)
In other veterans health care news —
The Hill:
FDA Approves Freeze-Dried Blood Plasma For Troops In Combat
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday approved freeze-dried blood plasma for use to treat combat injuries from U.S. troops, after a dispute over whether access would be allowed. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) last year tried to go around the FDA by granting the Department of Defense the ability to allow the freeze-dried plasma use. (Sullivan, 7/10)
