Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
There's 'Warfare' And 'Turmoil' At VA, And Some Question If Nominee Has Enough Experience To Rein It In
The timing of President Donald Trump鈥檚 announcement to name Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson to lead Veterans Affairs was a snap decision that surprised his own chief of staff and knocked the government's second-largest agency, already bedeviled by scandal, deeper into disarray. White House chief of staff John Kelly had spoken with David Shulkin by phone Wednesday morning, reassuring the now-former VA secretary that he wouldn鈥檛 be fired by tweet that afternoon. Hours later, Kelly had to phone Shulkin again telling him plans had changed. (Woellert, Johnson and O'Brien, 3/29)
The White House was thrown on the defensive Thursday over President Trump鈥檚 choice to lead the Department of Veterans 颅Affairs, forcing officials to fend off聽mounting skepticism that Ronny L. Jackson has the experience to run the government鈥檚 second-largest agency. Trump announced by tweet late Wednesday that the White House physician would succeed ousted secretary David Shulkin, surprising veterans groups and lawmakers, who were not notified beforehand and scrambled to learn the policy views of someone whose positions on the chronic challenges facing VA are unknown. (Rein, Kim, Wax-Thibodeaux, and Dawsey, 3/29)
Capitol Hill lawmakers reacted guardedly to President Donald Trump鈥檚 nomination of the White House physician to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, with key members noting that they know little about him. Dr. Ronny Jackson, a U.S. Navy rear admiral who has served as a White House physician during the past three administrations, is slated to succeed Secretary David Shulkin, who was ousted Wednesday. Mr. Trump indicated on Thursday that he removed Dr. Shulkin because change at the agency was coming too slowly. The secretary had also been the subject of a travel-expenses scandal. (Radnofsky and Nicholas, 3/29)
