Senate Confirms Robert Wilkie VA Secretary
ARRA News Service: Yesterday, the U.S. Senate confirmed (86-9) Robert Wilkie as the 10th Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Wilkie has said that he would not privatize the agency.
Several of the no votes, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I/Socialist-VT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) are potential candidates for president in 2020 AND HAVE opposed other Trump Cabinet nominees.
President Trump said Wilkie has “dedicated his life to serving his country with honor and pride. He has displayed great patriotism and a commitment to supporting and empowering America’s armed forces and veterans. Under his leadership, I have no doubt that the Department of Veterans Affairs will continue to make strides in honoring and protecting the heroic men and women who have served our Nation with distinction.”
The Washinton Post noted, "Wilkie, an Air Force reservist and the son of an Army artillery commander who was severely wounded in Vietnam, is now in charge of military personnel policy for the Trump administration. He has spent three decades working in Washington on military and national security issues, developing deep connections on Capitol Hill and in the White House. He has worked for some of the most polarizing political figures in Washington, including the late senator Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), but his past embrace of some divisive cultural views did not deter his path to confirmation.
. . . The White House has advocated for an expansion of private-sector options for veterans, a policy the administration came to think Shulkin was not pushing hard enough. Wilkie has said he would carry out a similar mandate of newly passed legislation — but said private care would not replace VA, a long-standing fear among Democrats and some veterans’ service organizations."
Veterans Affairs became a Cabinet-level postion under President George H.W. Bush in 1989, and Wilkie is the 10th person to hold the secretary position.
Tags: Senate, Confirms, Robert Wilkie, VA Secretary To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
Several of the no votes, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I/Socialist-VT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) are potential candidates for president in 2020 AND HAVE opposed other Trump Cabinet nominees.
President Trump said Wilkie has “dedicated his life to serving his country with honor and pride. He has displayed great patriotism and a commitment to supporting and empowering America’s armed forces and veterans. Under his leadership, I have no doubt that the Department of Veterans Affairs will continue to make strides in honoring and protecting the heroic men and women who have served our Nation with distinction.”
The Washinton Post noted, "Wilkie, an Air Force reservist and the son of an Army artillery commander who was severely wounded in Vietnam, is now in charge of military personnel policy for the Trump administration. He has spent three decades working in Washington on military and national security issues, developing deep connections on Capitol Hill and in the White House. He has worked for some of the most polarizing political figures in Washington, including the late senator Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), but his past embrace of some divisive cultural views did not deter his path to confirmation.
. . . The White House has advocated for an expansion of private-sector options for veterans, a policy the administration came to think Shulkin was not pushing hard enough. Wilkie has said he would carry out a similar mandate of newly passed legislation — but said private care would not replace VA, a long-standing fear among Democrats and some veterans’ service organizations."
Veterans Affairs became a Cabinet-level postion under President George H.W. Bush in 1989, and Wilkie is the 10th person to hold the secretary position.
Tags: Senate, Confirms, Robert Wilkie, VA Secretary To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
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