Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Wave Of Removals, Reassignments At VA Raises Alarms That Staffers Seen Not To Be Trump Loyalists Are Being Purged
The Washington Post: Trump Loyalists At VA Shuffling, Purging Employees Before New Secretary Takes Over
Ahead of Robert Wilkie’s likely confirmation to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, Trump loyalists at the agency are taking aggressive steps to purge or reassign staff members perceived to be disloyal to President Trump and his agenda for veterans, according to multiple people familiar with the moves. The transfers include more than a dozen career civil servants who have been moved from the leadership suite at VA headquarters and reassigned to lower-visibility roles. The employees served agency leaders, some dating back more than two decades, in crucial support roles that help a new secretary. (Rein, 7/18)
The New York Times: Critics Of Trump’s Veterans Affairs Dept. Raise Concerns About Departures
The department is currently run by Acting Secretary Peter O’Rourke and has been without a Senate-confirmed leader for months. Robert Wilkie, a former acting secretary who also served as the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, has been nominated for the top job by President Trump. If confirmed, Mr. Wilkie would take over the second-largest department in the federal government, overseeing a 360,000-person work force. (Fortin, 7/19)
