Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ronny Jackson Withdraws From VA Nomination Amid New Allegations Of Misconduct
The New York Times: White House Withdraws Jackson Nomination For V.A. Chief Amid Criticism
The White House withdrew the nomination of Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, the White House physician, to lead the Veterans Affairs Department on Thursday after lawmakers went public with a torrent of accusations leveled against him by nearly two dozen current and former colleagues from the White House medical staff. In a statement released Thursday morning, Dr. Jackson announced that he was withdrawing his name for consideration to be the secretary of Veteran Affairs. (Fandos and Baker, 4/26)
The Washington Post: Ronny Jackson Withdraws As Trump’s Nominee To Lead Veterans Affairs
“The allegations against me are completely false and fabricated,” Jackson, the White House physician, said in a defiant statement. “If they had any merit, I would not have been selected, promoted and entrusted to serve in such a sensitive and important role as physician to three presidents over the past 12 years.” (Rein, Wagner and Dawsey, 4/26)
The Wall Street Journal: Ronny Jackson Withdraws As Veterans Affairs Nominee
Dr. Ronny Jackson, who is Mr. Trump’s White House physician, took himself out of the running after Democrats on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee released a summary of allegations they had compiled through interviews with about two dozen people who have worked with him. The report described a culture of lax controls over drug prescription. Once, the report said, a prescription for a sleeping aid was written for a provider instead of for the actual beneficiary to protect the beneficiary’s identity. The report also said Dr. Jackson got drunk at a Secret Service going-away party and wrecked a government vehicle. (Nicholas, 4/26)
Politico: Ronny Jackson Withdraws As Veterans Affairs Secretary Nominee
The document, unveiled by Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, the ranking Democrat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, raised concerns about Jackson’s practices prescribing medicine, his management of the work culture under him and allegations of his consumption of alcohol while on the job. The report details allegations of a work environment in which subordinates worked in “constant fear of reprisal” and described Jackson’s behavior as “unethical” and “explosive.” It also contains claims that Jackson was drunk while on duty overseas on multiple occasions, including one episode in which he allegedly crashed a government vehicle during a going-away party for Secret Service. (Lima, 4/26)
The Hill: Trump VA Pick Withdraws Nomination
Trump on Thursday praised Jackson as a "highly respected" doctor and blamed Democrats for sinking his nomination, even though many Republicans also wanted Jackson to pull out. “These are false accusations," Trump said on "Fox and Friends." "They’re trying to destroy a man. I did say, ‘Welcome to Washington. Welcome to the swamp.’" (Weixel and Fabian, 4/26)
The Hill: Trump VA Pick Allegedly Gave 'Large Supply' Of Percocet To Military Staff Member
A new memo from the top Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee contains a slew of new allegations against President Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, including that he passed out controlled substances to anyone who asked. Witnesses allege that Ronny Jackson wrote himself prescriptions and on at least one occasion during the Obama presidency, “could not be reached when needed because he was passed out drunk in his hotel room,” according to the memo. (Weixel, 4/25)
The Washington Post: The Lengthy List Of Allegations Against Ronny L. Jackson, Annotated
Conversations with 23 colleagues and former colleagues of Rear Admiral Jackson, most of whom are still in uniform, have raised serious concerns about Jackson’s temperament and ethics, and cast doubt on his ability to lead the second largest agency in government and one tasked with the sacred mission of fulfilling our commitment to the men and women who have served our nation in uniform and their families. Those concerns are best captured under the following three topics. (Blake, 4/25)
The Washington Post: Tester’s Scrutiny Of Trump’s VA Choice Offers Political Peril And Opportunity
The firestorm over President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs has thrust a vulnerable Democratic senator into a moment of political peril and opportunity. Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.), the top Democrat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, is leading the effort to dig deeper into the background of Ronny L. Jackson, who has faced accusations that he improperly dispensed drugs, created a hostile workplace and became intoxicated on duty. Ensuring capable stewardship of the sprawling Veterans Affairs is an issue certain to resonate with Tester’s constituents; nearly 1 in 10 Montana residents is a veteran. Only Alaska has a higher percentage of veterans living in-state. (Sullivan, 4/25)
Politico: Jackson Troubles Shine Light On A Fact Of Washington Life: Sleeping Pills
Ronny Jackson, the White House physician who is battling to save his nomination to be the secretary of veterans affairs, regularly handed out the sleep drug Ambien and the alertness drug Provigil to West Wing officials traveling on overseas flights. Jackson’s nomination has inadvertently exposed the widespread use of sleep and alertness drugs among government officials from the White House and State Department to the Pentagon and Congress itself. (Johnson, Everett, Bender and Karlin-Smith, 4/25)
The Washington Post: Are Ambien And Provigil Allegedly Given By Ronny Jackson On White House Trips Dangerous?
White House physician Ronny L. Jackson allegedly provided travelers on White House trips with Ambien, a prescription sedative that is widely regarded as a safe drug that poses little risk of addiction. Nearly 30 million Americans take it for it insomnia — the vast majority of them in its generic form, zolpidem — for a single night or for longer periods of sleeplessness. But that doesn't mean a physician can hand out the drug “like candy,” as Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said Jackson did, without inquiring about other medications a patient might be taking, drug history or other medical issues, experts said. (Bernstein, 4/25)
The Washington Post: Here Are 5 Urgent Problems A New VA Secretary Would Need To Tackle
With White House physician Ronny L. Jackson’s nomination to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs in serious doubt, here are five things that veterans advocates and experts say are the most urgent needs a new VA secretary must address to successfully run the $200 billion agency that serves 9 million. (Wax-Thibodeaux, 4/25)
