“In the 88 years since the founding of the modern Department of Veterans Affairs, presidents have mostly turned to retired military officers and politicos to run the massive agency. Most have failed. The agency’s size, complexities, and politics have flummoxed even the most capable of leaders.”
“Enter Ronny Jackson—a Navy doctor who saw combat in Iraq and went on to serve as White House physician, caring for three presidents including President Donald Trump. Jackson is now being nominated to replace David Shulkin at the helm of the government’s second-largest agency. Jackson’s impressive military medical record, and bipartisan support, will likely smooth the path for a relatively quick confirmation…”
“At the VA, the biggest policy fight has to do with the future of VA health care, and the extent to which the government will purchase this care from the private sector or deliver it through the VA’s huge network of hospitals and clinics. Disagreement with the White House on this policy issue doomed Shulkin, and it is where Trump’s allies may expect the most deference from Jackson, given his relative lack of VA or private health care experience. But even if he concedes to the White House, there are no easy policy choices here, as two major assessments and commissions since 2014 found, and fewer safe political options. It doesn’t help that the VA has become embroiled in the broader conservative battle to shrink government and remove it…” Read the full article here.
Source: Chaos Awaits Ronny Jackson at the VA – By Phillips Carter, March 29, 2018. Slate.
