“The White House wants to remove the Department of Veterans Affairs’ second-in-command as a “warning shot” to VA Secretary David Shulkin…”
“Deputy Secretary Thomas G. Bowman, who was appointed by Trump and confirmed in August, was said to be at odds with the administration’s plan to expand health care access for veterans through private providers, these people said. His departure would create another senior leadership vacancy at an agency whose highly publicized shortcomings Trump has promised to fix.”
“A White House official said a plan to oust Bowman was in the works, but some of his admirers in Congress pushed back, saying Bowman’s job is safe…”
“It’s a move to knock Shulkin down a peg or two,” said a White House official, who like others interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter. “The administration feels like Shulkin has been freewheeling a little too much. Rather than sticking with the administration’s position on the Veterans Choice Act, Shulkin has been working with senators who don’t agree with the White House provisions.” Read the full article here.
Source: White House targets VA’s deputy secretary as ‘a warning shot’ to agency’s leader – By Emily Wax-Thibodeaux, Lisa Rein and Josh Dawsey, February 8, 2018. The Washington Post.
