UPDATE: Trump ousts Veterans Affairs chief Shulkin, nominates personal physician to replace him

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

President Trump on Wednesday ousted Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin after turmoil in the agencys senior ranks generated weeks of unflattering headlines, ushering in a potentially dramatic shift to veterans policy.

The president announced that he would nominate Rear Adm. Ronny L. Jackson, his personal physician, to replace Shulkin, a physician and former hospital executive who was the sole Obama-era holdover in Trumps Cabinet. Robert Wilke, who serves as an undersecretary at the Defense Department, will serve as acting secretary.

Shulkins ouster comes amid a broader shake-up that began with Trumps firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on March 13. The president also has decided to replace his national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, with former U.N. ambassador John Bolton.

Shulkins firing had been expected for weeks as the president, who once considered him a favorite grew disenchanted with him after a travel scandal and months of infighting within the senior ranks at the Department of Veterans Affairs spilled into public view.


Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-ousts-veterans-affairs-chief-david-shulkin-in-administrations-latest-shake-up/2018/03/28/3c1da57e-2794-11e8-b79d-f3d931db7f68_story.html

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How many of us knew this was coming?

Previous updated headline - Trump ousts Veterans Affairs chief David Shulkin in administration's latest shake-up

Original article and headline -

Trump ousts Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin; Robert Wilkie to serve as acting secretary
by Washington Post Staff March 28 at 5:36 PM

Shulkin, the only Obama administration holdover in the Cabinet, had been a favorite of President Trumps. But months of turmoil in VAs senior ranks have roiled the second-largest federal agency, which employs 360,000 people.

Tensions became public in February with the release of a critical report by the inspector general on a 10-day trip Shulkin took with his wife and top staff to Europe last summer. Since the reports release, his detractors have lobbied the White House to force Shulkin out.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.

[mercuryblues]

1. Ruters is reporting that trump will nominate

his personal Dr. Ronny Jackson

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Hey, Doc, I might have a few Cabinet openings in a few months. Interested?

Oh, and how much did you say I weighed?

[jaysunb]

18. Exactly! n/t

[docgee]

23. Now ask him under oath if he lied about 45's height and weight!

Should be easy to prove.

[mercuryblues]

31. That is what I am hoping for

[BumRushDaShow]

5. WaPo updated their article

and the updated version has been added.

[dchill]

28. Can't we just call him Dr. Yes?

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. It was highly expected

In the past 2 weeks, we've had 3 DU threads about Rick Perry replacing Shulkin, 2 more "Trump to fire Shulkin", and 1 "Trump has confidence in Shulkin 'at this point in time'".

[BumRushDaShow]

4. Plus there were the threads that mentioned

that Carson was on a short list to go too...

[cstanleytech]

9. Ya, in fact my reply to one of those was "Translation: He needs to start writing his resume.".

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. WGN -- not the Chicago TV station, but Who Goes Next?

A friend is retiring from her nursing career at the VA in just two days. If Spanky is now politicizing the VA, it's a good time for her to go.

[yallerdawg]

7. Insane.

The Twitter-Troll-in-Chief strikes again. He wants to destroy the notion of "good government."

What would a Congressman ask this guy at confirmation hearing? "How much does the Dotard weigh?"

[cungar2000]

8. Gee it couldn't have been...

[llmart]

10. I can't keep up any longer.

I could swear that the Dump said he liked Shulkin. Was that two days ago?

Up is down and left is right when the idiot tweets.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Exactly. For him, that is

[dixiegrrrrl]

24. You just pushed my button...

I have a sudden craving to watch the Godfather set.....
I think I may find it relaxing after nothing but Trump for way tooo damn long.

[BumRushDaShow]

25. I am long overdue rewatching myself.

I remember originally seeing the Godfather back in 1972 at a drive-in. You can imagine watching THAT on a huge screen.

[bucolic_frolic]

12. So youz tell 'em I'm 6'3" 239 lbs in great shape

and I'll make you Chief of the VA. Deal?

[flibbitygiblets]

30. Not just "great shape". I believe it was "most healthy President in US history" or some shit

Given his penchant for hyperbole, his infamous statement during the primaries about his dick size being "no problem, I assure you", can be translated as "I possess what is referred to as a micro-penis".

[IronLionZion]

13. Jackson is much better than Rick Perry

and has medical expertise and experience.

Not sure if anyone is truly capable to tackle the impressive challenges faced by the VA, but I'd be optimistic here. VA's problems are often used as an excuse to defeat any sort of government-based health reforms rather than any meaningful plan to make the VA better.

http://www.newsweek.com/ronny-jackson-veterans-affairs-secretary-donald-trump-865025

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

19. My cat would be a better Secretary of Energy than Rick Perry

because my cat is very good at conserving energy; so the bar is set very low. Jackson might be a competent (if not entirely truthful) doctor, but he has absolutely no experience managing a large bureaucracy - or even a small one. The VA needs, more than anything, a good manager.

[IronLionZion]

26. Trump doesn't appoint good managers. He mostly appoints people to undermine their mission

Shulkin had an excellent track record and decades of hospital management experience and we saw what happened. He claims he was undermined by Trump's people. His record while Obama was president was way better. And he has been in charge of Beth Israel, and UPenn, and other large systems.

Trump campaigned on shaking up the system. So they would be unlikely to get someone from within the VA. Jackson is at least from the military with medical experience and knowledge of the unique concerns of veterans. Good managers from other large hospital systems would be unwilling to work for Trump after what happened to Shulkin.

This is probably the best we're going to get from Trump. If there is someone better on the Republican side, who?

Let's be grateful it's not Ben Carson.

[sakabatou]

14. Welcome to the Kakistocracy of America.

[Leghorn21]

15. So did Spanky CALL Shulkin, TEXT him, let him find out on a teevee NEWS REPORT, or

did Kelly visit him in a toilet stall or - ??? Was he escorted out of his office like Omarosa and that aide with gambling issues, or did he leave all by himself?

[BumRushDaShow]

17. Drumpf's tweets about this came out at 5:31 pm EDT.

[bullwinkle428]

36. Shulkin admitted this morning he found out through news reports.

Dickless Wonder didn't have the stones to tell him to his face.

[Leghorn21]

37. Thanks, bull - we all knew damn well it wouldnt happen in person, but I wondered if dumbass

had the cojones to make a person-to-person phone call...silly me!

[C_U_L8R]

16. Zero experience managing anything

I'm sure he's a fine doctor but what does he know about managing a large organization like the VA? Bush's Brownie would have even more relevant experience. Wouldn't you want to recruit a rockstar hospital administrator or someone like that? Y'know, with real skills?

[Rebl2]

29. No he isnt a good dr.

Any Dr. that says that Trump is in great shape isn’t a good doctor.

[catsudon]

35. how was he when he was ...

Obama's physician? or bush?

[BigOleDummy]

20. While I'm glad....

.... this piece of crap is gone I'm worried about my care more than ever. I'm a veteran who gets 100% of my healthcare from the V.A. and couldn't be happier with it or my Doctors. Zero and I mean NO complaints from me. Top notch care and they have bent over backwards to work with me on scheduling my appointments and tests. DO NOT believe all the horror stories you may have heard about the V.A.! While I'm sure there are exceptions MY experience has been totally positive. Good care, GREAT Doctors .... what more could you ask for? The only time I've ever had anything "go wrong" was when they referred me to U.of L. for a certain test and THAT was the universities fault and the V.A. fixed it within hours after being informed of the mix-up. Robley Rex V.A. Medical Center deserves a shout out for excellence and I'm giving it to them!

[pecosbob]

21. Opening move in plan to privatize veteran's healthcare

[BumRushDaShow]

22. Tricare is already contracted out. nt

[Cold War Spook]

34. 100% disabled.

My primary care doctor and my pharmacist are VA, all other doctors are non-VA paid by VA. I call non-VA and they find a doctor near me. I do not have to use their doctors if I know one that accepts VA. In my area most do because they accept CHAMPVA and Medicare. This is only because the nearest non primary care VA doctors are 3 hours away.

[central scrutinizer]

27. Surprised it wasn't this guy

[fountainofyouth]

32. Ha!

I knew the photo just by seeing the title of your post

[nitpicker]

33. Trumps surprise pick for the next VA secretary raises questions

https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2018/03/28/trumps-surprise-pick-for-the-next-va-secretary-raises-questions/

Trump’s surprise pick for the next VA secretary raises questions

By: Leo Shane III    8 hours ago


WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s sudden firing of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and surprise nomination of the White House’s top physician to take his place has raised concerns among lawmakers and veterans groups who worry it will disrupt ongoing efforts to reform the massive federal bureaucracy.

Shulkin, who was approved by a 100-0 vote in the Senate about 14 months ago, became the second top VA executive forced out of office in less than four years. Veterans groups and a series of prominent lawmakers had petitioned Trump to keep Shulkin in place in recent weeks, arguing his tenure was mostly characterized by significant, meaningful reforms.

But Trump in a series of tweets on Wednesday evening, Trump announced he intended to nominate presidential physician Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson to replace Shulkin, and to move Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Robert Wilkie into the interim leadership post while the transition occurs.

Jackson, a 23-year sailor and a respected military physician, is largely an unknown in the veterans community. None of his official biography mentions work with the department, or in veterans issues.

He is an Iraq War veteran how deployed as an emergency medicine physician with the Surgical Shock Trauma Platoon in Taqaddum, Iraq, in 2005. He served as the White House doctor for former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, directing health care for not only the commander-in-chief but their senior staff and Cabinet officials. He’ll now take over the second-largest federal department, with a staff of more than 360,000 employees who handle health care needs of more than 9 million veterans.

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said after the announcement that he looks forward “to meeting Admiral Jackson and learning more about him.” Committee ranking member Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., expressed similar unfamiliarity with Jackson’s background, saying he hopes to find out “if he is up for the job.”
(snip)