Trump names acting VA secretary as nominee awaits confirmation
President Trump on Wednesday tapped Veterans Affairs chief of staff Peter O’Rourke to lead the agency on an acting basis as his nominee, Robert Wilkie, awaits Senate confirmation.
Wilkie has led the VA since Trump fired David Shulkin in March amid an ethics scandal.
Trump then turned to longtime White House physician Ronny Jackson for the post, but the Navy doctor withdrew amid allegations about his behavior, including that he overprescribed opioids and got sloshed while on duty.
Wilkie, a former Pentagon undersecretary, cannot run the agency on an acting basis as he awaits Senate confirmation.
O’Rourke, a member of Trump’s transition team, previously served as the head of the VA’s new accountability office, which is charged with helping enforce the new law making it easier to fire employees.
His appointment by Trump bypassed the No. 2 official at VA, Tom Bowman, who has been criticized at the White House for being too moderate to push Trump’s agenda of fixing veterans’ care.
The VA is the federal government’s second-largest agency with 360,000 employees serving 9 million veterans.
Democrats have said they intend to question Wilkie on whether he plans to “privatize” or degrade the VA health system, an issue that Shulkin has said led to his ouster.
Jacquelyn Hayes-Byrd, formerly the VA’s deputy chief of staff, will serve as acting chief of staff during O’Rourke’s stint as acting secretary, according to Politico.
With Post wires